EverClear Revamped
by Chandler1200
Summary: After an explosive reunion in Atlanta, Bella and Edward find themselves in uncharted territory. On the road with EverClear, they must learn to cope with new found fame and an ever growing shadow that seems determined to block out their happiness.
1. Chapter 1On the Road Again

Chapter 1-On the Road Again

EPOV

"Gin!"

"Aw, fuck. I'm not playing this with you anymore if you're gonna cheat," my brother whined in a very unflattering tone of voice. His enormous body was stretched out on the small leather couch that we had unfolded into a bed of sorts before we left Daytona. I sat beside him, with my back leaned against the overstuffed cushion mounted to the wall. There was just enough room between us for the three decks of cards to be displayed in their carefully constructed groups.

"I'm not cheating, you just suck. I completely understand now why Jasper won't let you go to Vegas with him anymore."

"Now, that was just mean. Your deal…," he huffed out. A loud snore from three feet behind us stopped his words in their tracks. We both snapped our heads toward the grumbling and laughed quietly. JP was stretched out on a leather sofa behind us, his right leg slung over the back of the couch, his mouth hanging wide open. There was a thin line of drool attached to his cheek. He stirred briefly and snorted once more before he fell quiet again

"Is this at all what you thought it would be?" His giant hand made a sweeping gesture around the interior of the bus that we rode.

I looked into Emmett's completely sincere face and laughed a little harder.

"I have honestly never given a moment's thought to what this would be like. But I guess I would have to say 'no'." It was true enough. I had never, in more than one hundred years, ever given any consideration to what it would be like to travel with a rock band. But if I had, I would have been in agreement with Emmett.

The previous five days had not been the wild parties and outrageous behavior that one typically thought of when they envisioned musicians on the road. There had been no drunken outbursts or lewd pranks or naked women sneaking onto the bus. Granted, JP tried his best to bed as many women as humanly possible, but even he was somewhat tame in the confined space that was the EverClear tour bus.

I glanced down to the peacefully sleeping beauty that was stretched out against my right leg. She had laid her upper body against my thigh and had wrapped her left leg over mine. Her head lay in my lap, with her palm tucked under her cheek. The wound between her thumb and fore finger had all but healed and was now covered in a small band-aid rather than the gauze that Carlisle had originally wrapped it in. I stroked her hair, fanned out behind her, very softly. She wiggled her way slightly closer to me and let out a small sigh.

My Bella.

My wife.

She was exhausted. Her eyes were ringed with violet circles and she was pale, even for her normally alabaster skin. Even as she slept, there were small creases on her forehead and a small indention between her brows. The last several days had been tough on my intensely private, somewhat shy wife. The explosive Atlanta performance had triggered a swarm of unexpected events, the least of which had been a rather stressful meeting with the executives from Epic. What had truly stressed her out though was the maelstrom of press that seemed to have crawled out of the wood work over the last week.

"She sleeping?"

I glanced up to see Chip, clad in a blazing orange knee length kimono striding down the aisle of the bus. His gray hair was flat against the right side of his head and his ever present glasses were hanging from a chain around his neck. He, too, showed signs of fatigue.

I nodded as he made a motion toward my brother and me to scoot over. I slid my left hand behind and then under Bella's back and picked her body up slightly. Emmett reached across my legs and slid his hands under her legs. Together we picked her up just a few inches and placed her between my legs, her head still in my lap.

She never stirred a muscle during the readjustment.

"You can put her in the bed with Marcus if you want to, I can't really sleep," he sighed as he flopped onto the folded out mattress to my right.

"No, I'd rather her be here." I knew that the silly smile I'd worn for the last several days had probably reappeared, but I simply didn't care. I was happier than I'd ever been in my existence and I didn't care who knew it.

He just nodded and smiled down at her sleeping form. He reached out and stroked the back of his hand across her cheekbone. It was a loving gesture that you'd expect to see from a parent as he watched over his sleeping child and I was once again filled with gratitude toward the man that had been her everything for so long.

"Did she eat before we left?"

"No, she told me she ate with you and Marcus while I got our bags packed and loaded onto the bus."

"She's such a liar. Are you going to yell at her or do I get to?" His brow was furrowed as he looked at her sleeping form. I was sure that my face wore an identical look of concern.

"Why do either of you have to yell at her. She's a grown up. If she's not hungry why does it matter to either one of you?" Emmett snorted.

Chip and I looked at each other briefly before we rolled our eyes at him.

"I'm just saying, if she's not hungry then why…"

"Oh shit, Edward, you need to look at this," Jasper's voice cut into the monologue Emmet was dying to unleash on us. His tone was strained and his thoughts were a jumble of images.

I looked over to my brother sitting at a table with my laptop in front of him. Jasper had comandered my computer when we boarded the bus, hence leaving me to my card game with Emmett to pass the night hours quietly. He lifted the small black computer off the table in front of him and walked the two steps toward us. He sank onto the edge of the mattres at Emmett's feet and placed the laptop on his knees with the screen facing Chip and me.

"Watch." He pressed a button and the screen came to life. The overly coifed head of Mary Hart filled the screen, earning a snort from not only myself, but Chip and Emmett as well.

"Entertainment Tonight? Why were you watching…," Emmett couldn't contain his amusement, not that he was trying very hard.

"Shut up, just listen."

The screen showed the hostess standing in front of a large video screen with the word "EverClear" emblazoned across it. The logo faded away into a video clip of a scene from just yesterday afternoon as we'd left the hotel in Daytona. Several journalist and several men with large shoulder cameras stood on both sides of the sidewalk that led from the front entrance of the lobby to the waiting bus we currently occupied. The members of EverClear were pushing past the people hurriedly, each one trying to shield themselves from the cameras. The last people out of the doors were Bella and I, a long brown coat over our heads, hidden from the cameras.

She had been shaking like a leaf as we wrestled our way out and into the crowd of shouting reporters. She had actually gripped my shirt with enough force to tear the collar slightly as she clung to me. Even hidden from the people surrounding us, she had tucked her head against my chest and her body temperature had risen with every step we took.

The obnoxiously chipper voice of the hostess blared out over the shouting of the reporters on the screen behind her.

"The word on the lips of everyone in the music industry right now is EverClear. Long time staples on the heavy metal club circuit, the band has enjoyed some commercial success, but have yet to break through to the next level in the music business. But that may have all changed six days ago. After an emotion packed show in Atlanta, the band has become an internet sensation thanks to videos downloaded onto YouTube. The ameture films show a powerful reunion between the band's lead singer, Bella Swan, and the long guessed at mystery man of her lyrics, now identified as Edward Cullen. In less than a week since the video was shot, YouTube has received more than 10 million hits from people dying to see this rock and roll love story unfold. Known for her shyness as much as for her powerful voice and heart wrenching lyrics, Miss Swan has never publically revealed the identity of the man featured in so many of the band's songs, although there was some speculation regarding the front man for EMD, Sebastian Steele. Long time aquaintences, insiders have speculated about a secret relationship between the two singers for more than two years. But all the secrecy flew out the window during the band's show at Atlanta's Blood Lust less than a week ago. Grab your hankie and take a look at this."

The screen was filled with a grainy image of us standing atop the platform wrapped in each others arms. She began the bridge of "Like You" and I watched as first I then Bella dropped to our knees, clinging to each other as she sang the song. There was an audible gasp from the person holding the phone as it recorded the rest of the performance, Bella and I staring into each other's eyes and gripping each other desperately.

"To further fuel the intense interest in this dynamic couple, Mr. Cullen joined EverClear on stage at the end of their performance. The couple sung the band's most successful single "My Immortal" together and then treated the audience to a blistering kiss. Only twenty four hours later, the couple returned to the stage together and at the end of the show Mr. Cullen introduced Miss Swan as his wife to the crowd of more than three thousand. Sources have not been able to confirm the marriage so far, but what we do know is that when the band left Atlanta, Mr. Cullen accompanied the band as they left for a string of shows in Florida. With the band's second album "Open Door" set for release this week, we can only assume EverClear's stock will continue to rise even higher. Neither the band nor Epic has issued any type of statement concerning the events of last week, but with the sensation surrounding them, industry insiders are expecting a reaction from the label any day now."

As the screen went dark, we sat in stunned silence. It seemed none of us knew what to make of the newest round of media coverage. It had been slowly building over the last several days. It had begun with local papers and then spread from there. I had no idea why there was such an intense interest in disecting every facet of that performance. What I did know was that Bella was not going to be pleased it had reached a national level when she woke up.

"Man, did the suits from Epic tell you guys how they were going to handle this? This shit is getting bigger and bigger." Emmett's generally light hearted tone of voice was serious and concerned. His most prominent thoughts were of our family and of Bella, as were mine. This needed to die down. Quickly. As thrilled as I was that they were getting the exposure that their talent so richly deserved, I did not want to draw attention to our family. And every new article in a paper or story on a news show drew the unwanted spotlight closer and closer to us.

"No, Bella and JP wouldn't let them handle it. Their idea was to parade us out like show horses and Bella wouldn't have anything to do with it. She and JP agreed to let things die down without any reaction from the band or the label and just let things progress naturally," I answered his concern.

"I don't know if they are going to be given the choice for much longer. If this gets much bigger, Epic will have to respond." Chip's voice was steady and smooth, but the wrinkles in his forehead confirmed his nervousness.

The tiny body stretched out in my lap shivered slightly. She pulled her legs up toward her chest and adjusted her head so that her cheek was against my hip bone.

"Chip, hand me a blanket?"

"Does she not get cold sleeping like that?" Jasper chuckled as he looked at his sister lovingly. The ferocious protectiveness that had ignited in him was an unexpected twist. Every time he looked at her, his thoughts turned to her safety. It was almost as if he was trying to eradicate their past by going the complete opposite direction. His interest in her well being was almost as strong as my own by this point He and Emmett had declared themselves, with the band's blessing, heads of security. And more than once in the last few days, one or both of them had terrified a fan they felt were getting closer to Bella than they were comfortable with.

"Are you kidding? She used to put pillows over the vents of the air conditioning units in her room, trying to make them as cold as Edward. If anything, she sleeps better when she has chills," Chip laughed as he pulled a small fleece blanket out of JP's hands, earning another snort, and began tucking it around her body.

My brothers both laughed and cut their eyes at me.

"This one," Emmett nodded in my direction, "used to spend hours sitting in his car because it smelled like her."

Chip just shook his head and looked at me. "Stubborn mules, both of you. Just too damn stubborn for you own good."

I just shook my head. I supposed he was right. All the time that Bella and I could have been together, out the window because I was too arrogant and hard headed to admit that leaving her had been a mistake.

But had it really been a mistake? If we had not been separated, would she have the incredible life that she did? Would she have discovered how talented she was? Would she have Chip and the rest of the guys? Would I have really been aware of just how much I needed her?

The answer to all my questions was a resounding "no". So, I guessed that, painful as it had been for both of us, being apart had made the overwhelming happiness that we had now possible. And I could never consider the events that led us to this point a mistake.

The small black phone still lying on the table Jasper had recently vacated vibrated to life, pulling me from my inner thoughts. None of needed to open the phone to know who it would be. Jasper stretched his long arm across the aisle and flipped it open.

"Hello angel…yes, I pulled it up…yes…hold on, he's right here." He tossed me the phone and resumed the card game that I had abandoned.

"Alice?"

"Did you watch it?"

"Yeah, we just finished. What have you seen?"

"Two possible outcomes. One, you ignore this and it gets out of hand. Two, the band and you hold a short press conference and it will begin to die down within forty-eight hours. The choice is yours, but I don't think I need to tell you which option would be better for everyone concerned." Her voice was not stressed or strained, so I understood she was giving me all that she'd seen. This was potentially playing with fire and she understood the ramifications as well as the rest of us. Her relaxed tone told me that she was not holding anything back.

"Ok, so I guess its up to me to convince Bella that she needs to hold a press conference to introduce her vampire husband to the world. No pressure there, sis."

She just laughed.

"You ass, of course she doesn't need to give all the gory details about you. But other than that fact, yes, you need to convince her. I'm sure you can do it Edward. You have a few more tools to work with in the persuasion department now." Her voice had turned very suggestive at the end of her little rant.

"I'll see what I can do," I sniffed as Chip swatted my arm and held out his hand for the phone. "Al, I think Chip wants to talk to you. Catch you later."

I passed the phone to his waiting hand and resumed my favorite past time of watching my wife sleep and listened in on the conversation. Lord help me she was beautiful. Clad in a pair of sweats that had to be ten years old in the tread bare knees were any indication and one of my tee shirts, she was utter perfection.

"Alice, doll, how's New York?"

"It would be more fun if you and Bella were here, but I'm managing."

"Trust me, you do not want to try and do New York properly with Bella. I actually thought I would slap her the last time we were there. Find anything interesting?"

"Oh, I can't wait for you to see some of what I picked up for her. You'll die. Why don't you meet us here for a day or two? Surely, she can dress herself for one show without you."

I laughed. Bella would probably pay to have Chip leave her alone for a couple of days. I had the not so pleasant experience of watching the two of them argue over her costume choice for one of the Daytona shows. I had actually feared for a moment that they would come to blows.

"Well, they only have one show on Friday. Then they travel for the next three days. I might just do that. I could fly out of Miami Thursday night and we could meet them in Houston on Sunday. Let me run it by her and Marcus, you don't mind if he comes do you?"

"Of course I don't mind, what kind of a question is that? Do you want me to tell you what her answer will be or do you want it to be a surprise?" Alice's voice was a squeal with her excitement.

"I'll let her surprise me. Love you, doll. Talk to you soon."

"Love you too Queenie. Kiss my girl for me."

"Will do. Can I kiss your man too?"

Jasper's head snapped up at that statement, his eyes wide and a small smirk on his face.

"Only if you can talk him into it, but I'll warn you, he bites."

Chip's laughter was so loud as he closed the phone that I was afraid he would wake Bella. He wagged his eyebrows at Jasper, who let out a snort of his own in response.

I thought to myself as I watched the exchange that my job of convincing Bella to hold the press conference had just gotten much easier. I would barter fifteen minutes in front of the cameras and microphones for three Chip free days.

I just hoped that would be enough.


	2. Chapter 2Cha Cha Breakfast

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**You guys are so awesome, seriously! Your response to the first chapter floored me.**

**Before you read this chapter, let me ask you to do something kind of strange. Go to YouTube and pull up a clip of the McDonald's commercial featuring the song Cha Cha Slide. You have to watch the little boy at the dinner table do his thing to fully appreciate one of the visuals of this chapter.**

**PlayList**

**Cha Cha Slide- Mr. C**

**Drop it Like its Hot-Snoop Dogg**

**(Yeah, I know, kind of a strange play list. What can I say, I have a soft spot for cheesy club music).**

**Let's see if you guys can make me purr as loudly as Rob, looking mighty freakin' fine, at the MTV Movie Awards did**

Chapter 2-Cha Cha Breakfast

BPOV

I was vaguely aware of an extremely tempting smell as the light slithered its way beneath my eyelids. And of being shaken. Not hard, but my entire body was being jostled on the mattress below me.

The smell was easily identifiable. Eggs. And bacon.

The shaking was not as easy to figure out.

As I lay still, eyes still closed, clinging to the last few seconds of sleep, I became aware of the music filling the space around me.

"What in the hell are you guys listening to?" My voice sounded horse as I spoke to the air around me, still not opening my eyes.

"Baby," laugh, "you have to…see this," the sultry voice spoke as the shaking grew more intense and I became more aware of my surroundings.

Edward. I was lying between Edward's legs, my head in his lap. And he was laughing. Hysterically.

I stretched my arms and legs, probably doing a very good impersonation of a cat and then sat straight up as I recognized the music that swirled in the air.

We gonna get funky…clap, clap, clap your hands…

"Who in God's name is listening to the Cha Cha Slide at this hour?" I squawked out as I looked up into the dancing eyes of my husband. His smile was absolutely breath-taking as he gazed back at me. But he was so lost in his laughter that he could do nothing except point his hand over my shoulder.

I sat a little more upright and turned my body in the direction he indicated. I was then lost in an all consuming laughter of my own. The sight that met me was straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone, or maybe Monty Python.

Chip stood in front of the small stove on the far side of the bus, clad in an almost neon orange bath robe and black socks. His hips were swaying back and forth in perfect time with the much too chipper music as he stirred a large pan in front of him. But what had me gasping for breath was the vision three feet to his right.

Sitting at the square fold out table were JP, Emmett and Dimitri. JP's dreadlocks were pulled up to the very top of his head in a ponytail holder, making him appear to be a demonic version of Pebbles Flintstone. Dimitri's long black hair was in a less drastic ponytail at the base of his neck. And Emmett was…Emmett, only he had on a baseball hat with the brim turned about four inches to the right.

And all three were dancing.

But not just wiggling in their seats. All three were doing a remarkably bad imitation of the McDonald's commercial that featured the curly headed little boy which was currently running on television. Their heads jerked from side to side, their shoulders hunched up and down spastically and their arms moved in stilted up and down movements. All three wore a completely deadpan expression on their face. JP and Dimitri were eating as they danced, only adding to the insanity of the scene.

Criss-cross…I said criss-cross

Their arms crossed over one another in compliance with the song's orders, sending bacon bits flying across the table. As the loud clapping blared from the speakers, all three clapped their hands in tiny, dainty, completely inappropriate claps for such gigantic men.

My eyes poured tears as I bent over at the waist laughing. Edward's arms were around my waist and he hunched his body over me as he too laughed. I realized that Jasper was lying on the mattress next to us, chuckling so hard that he all but convulsed.

No one on the bus was able to do anything except laugh and snort and cackle until the bizarre song came to an end. At which point, all three stood from their seats and took a mock bow. It was a full two minutes before I, or Edward for that matter, could control ourselves enough to speak.

"Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?" He was still giggling under his breath as he leaned forward and gave me a small kiss. He pulled me into his lap, my right leg crossed over the left Indian style.

"Yeah, I did. Until I had the most ridiculous alarm clock of all time wake me up."

That sent Jasper into another wave of laughter, which of course sent all of us off the deep end again.

Chip turned from his place in the small kitchen and held out a large plate of scrambled eggs with several strips of bacon. The aroma wafting toward me was simply divine as I inhaled deeply.

"Morning, baby girl. Hungry?" His voice held a hint of sarcasm as he looked at me, one eyebrow cocked.

I nodded my head enthusiastically.

"You should be, what with skipping dinner last night. Little liar. Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Edward smirking at me with an all too knowing look on his beautiful face.

Shit. Busted.

"The reporters make me nervous. I didn't think my stomach would cooperate," I mumbled as I looked down into my lap.

Edward leaned forward and kissed the side of my neck. I knew I was forgiven.

"I know they do, love, but you have to eat. What would you do if I just quit hunting because I was nervous?" His face was completely sincere as he looked at me sweetly.

"Um…probably look like a happy meal to you and then die when you realized how thirsty you were," I snickered. Jasper laughed as he took the plate from Chip's outstretched hand. He scooted himself up the mattress and leaned in to plant a small kiss on the corner of my mouth as he placed the plate in my lap.

"Good girl. Don't take his shit," he drawled out, a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you, brother dear." I looked proudly at my tall blond ally. I was completely stunned at the way our relationship had changed over the last week. He seemed to have declared himself my personal protector and guardian. He was better than a team of ten human body guards. I had witnessed on more than one occasion, he and Emmett not so subtly chasing away men in the audience whose behavior or proximity to me made them uncomfortable. He was like a shadow, but he never hovered uncomfortably.

In less than a week, Jasper had become every bit as much my brother as Emmett was. Gone was the uncomfortable feeling of being near each other. He had not once shied away from hugging me or kissing me. He was playful and teasing with me, just as he was with his vampire siblings. The new-found relationship filled me with an unexpected pride and love for him.

_Ssnnnnoooooopppppp…._

As the new song blared through the stereo on the bus, the three stooges at the table stood up and began their best gangster impersonations. Only this time, Chip joined them.

Needless to say, the eggs that I managed to snort through my nose at the sight did nothing to quell the cackling that had once again erupted on the bus.

Edward had actually released my waist and had the palm of both hands pressed tightly to his eyes as he laughed. If it had been possible, I was sure that his eyes would have been pouring tears. I was still wiping my face furiously and jerking with my laughter when two very large hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the mattress. When I looked up, I was staring a very amused Emmett in the eye.

He kept me pressed up against his chest, his hands on my waist and continued to dance. I was swaying back and forth with him in the most ridiculous manner possible when I felt another body press against my back.

I looked over my shoulder to find JP, his Flintstone hair bouncing, grinning wickedly. I smirked at him and threw my right arm behind my head and wrapped my hand around his neck. The three of us wiggled and laughed as Snoop Dogg continued to proclaim the virtues of his schnizzle, whatever the hell that meant.

"Eddie, dude, we're gonna borrow your wife for a little while," JP called to my husband, who along with Jasper was literally rolling around on the mattress laughing.

"I don't think the two of you could handle her," he snorted, earning a slap on the back from Jasper.

"Oh, I think we'll manage, as long as she doesn't bite herself again," Emmett retaliated.

Marcus and Chip had joined in the ruckus by that point and were grinding against each other in an almost pornographic manner. Their display did nothing but make us all laugh harder.

"Edward…help me, please," I laughed out in his direction. He was stretched out on his side, his head propped up on one arm, watching our little dirty dancing reenactment.

"I'm rather enjoying the view actually. Even with the sweatpants." He smiled humorously and I felt the blush creep up my neck.

"Yeah, what's up with that shit? I thought newlyweds were supposed to wear little skimpy lacey things. Why are you still dressed like a flippin' hobo?" JP smirked as he continued to grind up against me.

"Well, most newlyweds don't spend their honeymoon on a tour bus with ten other people, do they?"

"Point taken," JP conceded.

As the song came to an end, I held my arm out toward Edward. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me back to his chest so quickly that Emmett and JP were left grinding against each other for a split second. They jumped away from each other wide eyed and then laughed so loudly that the windows shook.

"What in the hell has everyone so worked up this morning?" I asked as I resumed my spot on Edward's lap and took my breakfast from Jasper's hand.

"Who knows? But they've been like this for more than an hour."

"Where are we anyway?" I asked as I crammed my mouth full of eggs.

"About two hours outside Miami. We'll be there by lunch."

"Can I ask a stupid question?" JP interrupted.

"Why would today be any different, freak?" Chip retorted.

"Ha ha. Very funny," he quipped as he flipped his middle finger at him. "I'm just wondering if there is some new rule that says Bella's ass can't touch a seat cushion. I mean seriously, I don't think I've seen you sit anywhere other than Eddie's lap in a week and I'm just wondering if that's a job I'll get to take over when he goes hunting?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the two of us.

It was Edward's middle finger that responded.

I leaned further into Edward's chest as I finished the now cold plate of breakfast. I felt his icy hand brush the hair away from my neck and felt his cheek press against me. Immediately, my body responded. I felt flushed and hyper aware of him as his cool breath raced down my back.

"We need to talk, baby." The mood in the cabin shifted with his words and a looming sense of foreboding fell.

I had expected something very different to come out of his mouth after that gesture. But as I looked over my shoulder at him, I realized his eyes had turned serious. I nodded my head, hoping he took that to mean "go ahead". I felt him shift behind me slightly and then he brought his laptop around my left side and placed it in front of us. I realized that Jasper had shifted slightly closer to me as Edward pressed a button and the screen lit up.

I watched in horror as the clip from Entertainment Tonight ran. The short clip of the throng of reporters was enough to send my pulse through the roof and to make my palms clammy. The more that I watched the worse I felt and suddenly the eggs that had seemed so wonderful minutes ago felt like stones in my stomach.

"Breathe, love. It's going to be okay," Edward whispered into my ear as I watched the blurry video of the two of us on stage together.

I was furious with myself when I felt the tears pooling in my eyes as the hideous gossip rag clip came to an end. I looked up into the eyes of JP and Chip, who wore identical worried faces. My hands were shaking as I laced my fingers through Edward's and wrapped his arms around my chest.

"Jasper?" his silken voice spoke quietly behind me.

I felt Jasper's arm around my shoulders and immediately, I felt a blanket of relaxation surround me. I tried to give a small smile to him in thanks, but I didn't think I'd fooled him. It was as close to a panic attack as I'd had since the first night in Atlanta and it was disturbing to realize how easily I'd forgotten the feeling.

"Listen, Bitch, this doesn't have to be a big deal. We've been talking about it and…well; I'll let Edward tell you." JP's voice was much gentler than it had been just a few moments ago.

I twisted my body to more fully face Edward. His eyes were concerned and pleading at the same time. He leaned forward and kissed me very softly, his arms never breaking their hold on me.

"I spoke with Alice last night after Jasper found this online. She's seen two possible outcomes from the situation. The better of the two is for EverClear to hold a short press conference and answer a few questions about me and us. According to her, the fury will begin to die down within a couple of days."

"What's the other option?"

"Don't respond and the scrutiny gets more intense," Emmett answered.

I knew there was no other choice but to hold the damned conference, although I would have rather boiled live puppies than faced a room full of shouting nosy journalists.

"Baby, the choice is yours, but I think you understand what we're dealing with. The more they dig, the more they are likely to…"

"I know, Edward. We can't have them looking at you too closely." I blew out my breath harshly as I thought about the ramifications. "So when do we need to do this?"

"The sooner the better," JP answered as he sat at the small table. "I'll make the arrangements. I'd like to do it tomorrow afternoon if this is how we're going to handle it. If we set it up for tomorrow afternoon, there will be some buzz about the show that night and then it can start to die down."

JP had always handled our press, if for no other reason than I simply couldn't. I could stand on the stage in front of however many people and sing my ass off, but I had always panicked at the thought of speaking to a room full of people. He, on the other hand, had no problem doing anything in front of anybody. I actually envied his lack of embarrassment most of the time.

"Does everyone agree?" I looked around the interior of the bus at the members of the band. Dimitri shook his head in agreement, as did Felix. Jane was in the bathroom, but EverClear had always functioned on a "majority rules" system. That's how the strip tease had been allowed to remain in the show against my wishes. So this would be no different. "Do you mind making the arrangements?"

"Naw, that's what I do chick. I'll set it up."

"It will be fine, love, I promise. I'll be right there beside you and Jaz will be close enough to get a read on you. If you need his help to stay calm, he won't be far." He hugged me to his chest, stroking my back softly. The gesture was soothing and I felt myself relax against him.

"So, is anyone going to tell us about this Sebastian Steele character?" Emmett asked in that familiar amused voice. I felt the muscles in Edward's chest tighten, as did his arms around me. JP darted his eyes to me, silently asking the question I didn't want to have to answer.

Emmett caught the exchange.

"What? Is the guy Satan or something?"

I drew in a shuttering breath as I procrastinated against answering the question.

What exactly did I tell them, or more importantly Edward, about Sebastian?


	3. Chapter 3Chinese Anger

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**Couple of things before we get started…First, the first few chapters are a little shorter than what y'all got used to toward the end of EverClear. But if you think (or reread) back, the first few chaps in that story were a little shorter. It takes a little time to set the stage for what's coming. I promise they do get longer and more involved. Second, the updates are going to be a little slower on this one. I hope to get at least one chapter to you guys a day, and maybe a couple of two shots. I know I kind of spoiled you the first time around, but I don't want to sacrifice the plot or the characters or the quality for speed. I want to make sure and give you guys nothing less than the best possible story. You deserve nothing less for your support. I hope you guys will understand.**

**Serious thanks to Jess for her help on this chapter. Love the tat doll!**

**So, are we a little curious about Sebastian? How about we get a glimpse of him from a point of view we haven't heard from yet. Ladies and gentleman, I give you JP.**

Chapter3-Chinese Anger

JP POV

I caught the panicked expression on my girl's face at Emmett's question. And the tightening of Edward's arms around her. Fuck. This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have. Especially not with the Cullens. They were all going to shit fucking kittens.

"Well, where do we even start with Sebastian?" I looked at Bella, only to find her still looking down into her lap. She was going to have to help me out here. There was only so much of this I could tell. The second part of the story was going to have to come from her and the fairy princess.

"Sebastian and I grew up together. We went to junior high and high school together. We did the whole marching band thing for years."

"You were in the marching band?" Emmett interrupted. I could see the smug shit was dying to make some smart assed comment. Fuck, had I been the one listening to the story, I'm sure I would have a smart-assed comment too.

"Yes, mother fucker and it was the most kick ass percussion section the South ever produced. And besides, band chicks do all sorts of freaky shit at band camp. So anyway, we grew up together. The first band I was ever in was with the fucker."

I noticed that Bitch had not relaxed her grip on her hubby's hands in the slightest. Good thing the dude was unbreakable. I'd been on the receiving end of that death grip before and that shit hurt.

"Most talented shit I've ever known. The dude is wicked smart and can play any freakin' instrument you put in front of his skinny ass. And he's a pretty boy. The ladies creamed themselves over him. So we start this band in our senior year of high school. And the thing starts to take off. By the time we were nineteen years old we were playing in some of the biggest clubs on the west coast. We wrote constantly and traveled constantly. And partied our asses off."

"That's not too terribly hard to imagine," Jaz mumbled. I liked that scary fucker. The dude was mondo serious, but funny as hell. Get him laughing and he turned into Little Miss Muffett. It was fucking hysterical.

"We'd been playing for a couple of years when the shit started to get a little old."

"How so? You're still playing every night and you're still touring," Edward asked. I'd never met a more intense person in my life. Seriously, it was a good thing the dude was dead; otherwise he'd have been one of those men that stroked out by like thirty years old. Leave it to Bitch to find someone more intense than her. I'd have never believed it was possible if I hadn't seen it for myself.

"Yeah, but not like with Sebastian. Every night was a free for all. Booze, a little dabbling in some illegal substances, and women. Jesus, the women. You only think I'm bad now. We used to make a contest over who could nail the most chicks in any given city. With Bitch," I noticed he flinched every time I used her nickname. Hell, I'd been calling her that for years, it was gonna take more than a week to break that habit. "None of that applies. If anything, between her and Chip, it's a lot like touring with the parents."

She laughed a little. Fuck this was going to be hard. The only subject more taboo to talk about than Edward had been Sebastian. And here we were, laying it out for the new spousal unit and the in-laws. She was gonna be ten shades of green before we got through the story.

"Sebastian just sort of started to change. Everything became crazy and not in a have fun kinda way. He grew up with his dad and grandpa. Mama split when he was still in diapers. And daddy wasn't exactly Cliff Huxtible. Mean old man and usually drunker than a skunk. And Grandpa…let's just say the man was two cans shy of a six pack. Always mumbling to himself and talking to his imaginary friend. You wanna see a fucked up sight, sit your ass on a porch and watch a ninety year old man talk to the voice in his head. So anyway, Sebastian started getting all withdrawn and sullen and just… fucking weird."

Bella grew paler by the minute. She knew where this was going and was not looking forward to it.

"He started to get all paranoid and twitchy. He'd freak over the smallest things. Like if the guitar amp was two inches further to the right than he thought it should be he'd flip out. Pitch an all out tantrum. Or if we were in a club and he thought someone was looking at him, he'd go all apeshit on them. He'd think they were spying on him and go all postal. It got to be an every night thing and after two years of his bullshit, I'd had enough. I left EMD right before they got signed."

"What does EMD stand for anyway?"

It was, again, Edward. It didn't surprise me that he was so into the story. He knew, just by the way she was reacting, that this would involve her somehow.

"It depends; do you want the Epic version or the real version?"

"Both."

"According to Epic, it stands for 'Extreme Mental Disorder'. That's probably truer now than it was when they signed. But originally, it stood for 'Eat My Dick'."

Emmett and Jaz both snorted, but Edward didn't even crack a smile.

"I left the band and moved to Seattle. I rented an apartment on the fourth floor of the same building as Chip and Marcus. About a year after I moved in, I hear this fucking awesome piano coming from downstairs at four in the morning. So I went down and introduced myself to this skinny, pale, quiet little thing that was living with them. The rest is history."

My girl actually did smile at this part, which in turn seemed to make Edward relax slightly. Chip and Marcus both looked like proud parents as I glanced at them. I guessed in a way they kind of were our parents. Lord knew between the two of us they had put up with enough shit to give them claim to us.

"Ok, so this guy starts acting all freaky and you leave the band. What's that got to do with Bella?" It was Jasper this time. I could see him trying to figure out the link. "Did you date him?"

Edward's head spun around to glare at his brother with; there was no other word for it, inhuman speed. His eyes were pitch black and the look on his face was fucking murderous. Bells, on the other hand, had gasped and her eyes were wide as saucers as she shook her head furiously.

"No, no. I never dated him. I went to dinner with him one time, just as friends grabbing some Chinese food, but I never dated him." The look on her face would have been funny if we were on any topic in the world other than this one. She looked at Edward like she was begging him for something. He stared back at her and his face relaxed but he was still breathing much too heavily for a cat that didn't need to breath at all.

"Bella, tell them." Marcus' voice was quiet and much gentler than any tone he would have ever used with me. Not that I could necessarily blame him for that.

"About two years ago, we were finishing 'Fallen'. JP and I were at the studio listening to some of the edits and I got hungry. He didn't want to go until they were all done, so I went by myself. In the elevator on the way down, this guy with long brown hair gets in. He knew my name and who I was, told me how he knew JP and introduced himself as Sebastian. I'd heard JP talk about him a few times, so I sort of knew who he was. We just got to talking and he asked where I was headed. I told him I was heading over to the Chinese place around the corner and he said that was where he was going too and would I mind if he walked me. We talked about the new albums we were working on and the places that we'd both played. He was nice, kind of reminded me of Mike Newton. A little cocky but harmless enough."

Edward tried his best to stifle the growl that ripped from his chest, but didn't succeed. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. And my crazy Bitch smiled at him like he'd purred.

"Still not that fond of Mike?" she teased him. She kissed him really quickly and he chilled out, slightly. "So about half way through dinner we both reached for the soy sauce."

Bless her little fucked up heart, she started crying. Big ole fat tears streaked down her cheeks. Edward murmured something in her ear and Jaz put his hand on her shoulder. I guessed he was using his Spidey senses to chill her out a little. Dude had no idea he'd need the whole Batman utility belt before she was done.

"Baby, what happened?" I had to give him credit; he was handling this much better than I thought he would so far. Much better than I'd reacted when I'd found out what the cocksucker did.

"Our hands bumped. I just kind of laughed a little. But when I looked at him, he was so different than he had been just a second before. He looked like he was about to explode and I couldn't figure out what in the world he was so angry about. So he grabs my wrist and yanks it to him really hard. He almost pulled me out of my chair he used so much force. And he's just staring at my arm and gritting his teeth and mumbling to himself. I tried to tug my arm away from him but he wouldn't let go. He just started to trace the scars on my arm, over and over with his finger." Her voice was nothing but a whisper by the time she stopped talking.

I didn't think she was even conscious of doing it, but her fingers were running over the mouth shaped scar on her arm. Edward and Emmett both noticed though, and both looked like they had been kicked in the gut as they watched her. She'd told me the story behind it and the long scar up her forearm one night and asked me to never bring it up again. And until today, I never had. For all our bickering and shit, she was my girl and I was her asshole. I'd never had a better friend in my life and I would never do anything to fuck that up.

"He just started screaming at me. He kept yelling over and over 'they tried to burn you too'. And of course, the more he screamed, the more I thought about you and…" She never looked at him, but it was clear she was talking only to Edward.

"James." Edward's voice was steel fucking cold as he finished her sentence. I'd never been frightened of any of the vampire's I'd ever met until I heard him utter that one word. He was lethal in that second.

Bella just nodded her head, the tears coming harder. I felt really bad for my girl. This was killing her. Like she didn't have enough shit to worry about right now. Fucking crazy prick just had to pop up now.

"What did you do, Sweetie?" It was Emmett that asked the question. Apparently Edward was still too enraged to speak. He was actually shaking he was so pissed off. I understood that. When she'd come running into the editing room, sobbing and all hysterical, I'd destroyed a two thousand dollar mixing board in my attempt to get out of the room and stomp his ass into the concrete.

"I pulled my arm away from him and ran the fuck out of the restaurant. When I got back to the studio and found JP, he called Chip and Marcus to come take me home."

"That was an awful night. She had four separate panic attacks. We finally had to sedate her." Chip looked lost in his thoughts as he spoke. I knew he was seeing the same image of her that I was. And I knew by the look on his face that Edward was seeing it also. She had been a fucking basket case for two days after that little stunt.

"About eight months later, Epic made us hook up with EMD for a couple of shows. And Sebastian was…just…fucking psycho," I continued for her while Edward rocked her. "He stood in the wings of the stage and just stared at her. He didn't move, he didn't speak. He just stared at her. That night at the hotel, Chip found him trying to get into her hotel room at like three am. The only thing the guy would say, even when we called security, was that he wouldn't let them burn her. That he would save her. We've hired extra security for every show we've done with them ever since. And every show, he's tried to pull the same shit."

It was Jasper and Emmett that growled this time and no one smiled. It was the worst sound I'd ever heard in my entire life. Fuck, I knew and liked these guys and it made me shiver.

Jasper moved in front of Bella, still balled up in Edward's lap, and put his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. Emmett sat down on the mattress beside them. He slung his arm around both of them and squeezed. You could actually see her body relax at the sweet gestures.

Only my girl could be sitting in the lap of one vamp, surrounded by two others and be **comforted**. It really was fucking funny how screwed up her perception was.

"Listen to me Bella." She looked up at Jasper, eyes still swimming. "No one, I mean no one is going to hurt you. Do you understand me? Between the three of us, you will not be alone for any amount of time while you are in the same state as that mother fucker. Just let the dumb fuck try to get near you. I will personally tear him apart. Do you hear me? You're one of us and we protect our family at all costs." His southern twang came out more the madder he got. Note to self, find out where the dude came from. Maybe I had as much in common with him as I did with Em.

She nodded her head at him and he kissed her forehead very sweetly. It was a lot like the way I kissed her.

"Our little danger magnet. You are the only human on the planet that can surround themselves with vampires and be afraid of a human." Emmett chuckled, obviously trying to lighten the mood a little. Edward threw him a nasty look until he realized that Bells had laughed a little. "Seriously Bella, between the three of us, particularly you're husband's much stronger and smarter older brothers, no one, especially a skinny crazy rock star is going to get near you."

"I know. He just scares me. And I just think of all those awful memories every time I'm around him."

"Baby, do you think I would let anyone or anything ever hurt you? Never going to happen. On my life."

"I know Edward, I know. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Why don't we get you in the shower and see if you can relax a little?"

She nodded her head and he picked her up and carried her to the back of the bus toward the bathroom. I looked at his brothers and raised my eyebrows.

"Edward will have his fucking head if he breaths in her direction and we'll be there to crucify his body for him," Emmett spat. Jasper nodded in agreement.

"You would not believe the anger and possessiveness pouring out of Edward while she spoke. I don't think it was that strong when we met the nomads at the baseball field."

Emmett let out a whistle and I figured that was explanation enough.

"Fuck, I'd hate to be Sebastian right about now."

"You have no idea," both Cullen brothers said at the same time.

Hell, Texas was going to be all kinds of fucked up at this rate. And we still had to get through the God damned press conference.

Welcome to rock and roll.

**Chapter Notes: Surely, JP's point of view warrants a review! Let me hear it. Love you guys.**


	4. Chapter 4Foiled Again

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**You guys are so incredible. I had a chapter for EverClear hit Twilighted yesterday, and a couple of you guys sent me messages to make sure that it was me on both sites! Y'all are my personal security vamps now!!!!! Thank you so much for being so protective of the story. Cheesy as it sounds, it made me feel so good that you guys care enough to look out for me.**

**You guys seem to, for the most part, like hearing from JP. I have to tell you that he's a blast to write, so you'll most likely be seeing more from him. Some of the comments were too funny!**

Chapter 4-Foiled Again

EPOV

I placed her on the tiled counter beside the sink in the bathroom. Her cheeks were red and streaked with tears. She kept her head down, her eyes locked on her fingers in her lap as they twisted the hem of the shirt she wore.

"Bella, love?" I spoke to her in as calm a voice as I was capable. She didn't need to see the white hot rage that boiled in my veins. After everything we'd been through, after all the pain and sorrow and hurt and loneliness, this asshole was not going to fuck with my wife.

Her head shot up and she looked at me with painfully wide eyes. She didn't say a word as she reached both arms out to me. I stepped into the small space between her open legs and wrapped my arms around her tightly. Her mouth found mine in the space of a heartbeat. Her tongue pushed its way into my mouth forcefully as her hands fisted into my hair.

I knew what the kiss was. It was the same as I'd given her standing in the garage of our home in Forks the night I'd sent her to Phoenix and then again the night that Jasper had attacked her. This was fear and desperation, not passion.

I pulled away from her, never releasing my grip on her waist. Her eyes flashed to mine warily before she leaned her forehead against mine.

"You are not kissing me 'goodbye'." My voice was harsher than I'd intended. I placed my hands on the sides of her face and tilted her head up until she looked me in the eye. "Baby, I know this guy scares you, but he is not ever again going to come near enough to you to hurt you. So don't you dare kiss me like it's the last time. If I didn't learn a fucking thing from the situations with James and Jaz, I learned that we handle shit together. Neither one of us can do it alone, nor should we have to."

She sat motionless for the longest three seconds of my life. She was obviously startled by the way I'd spoken to her, but she had to understand that I was not going to let her handle this by herself. She blinked rapidly, causing the moisture in her eyes to fall and then she smiled very timidly at me and huffed out a breath.

"You're right. I just don't like the memories that he stirs up when he's around." Her voice was quiet but not broken as she spoke.

I pulled her to me again and she laid her head in the crook of my neck. I felt the muscles in her back unclench as she relaxed against me. I laid my cheek on the top of her head and inhaled the beautifully painful scent of her.

"I know, baby. But that's all behind us. I want you to make me a promise. Kiss me out of passion or lust or love or humor or even boredom. But don't ever kiss me out of fear or hopelessness again. Promise?"

She nodded her head and tightened her arms around me.

I ran my hands up and down her back a few times until I felt every muscle relax and her heart rate drop to a normal pace. I kissed her very gently and then stepped back from between her legs.

"How about that shower?"

Her responding smile was enough to take my breath. I reached over, turning on the hot water and immediately, steam began to fill the small room.

Without hesitation, she slid from the counter and pushed the sweatpants down to her ankles. I couldn't help but stare as she stepped one foot and then the other out of the elastic bindings. Every move of her long bare legs held my rapt attention.

"Can I get in with you?" I'd dropped my voice to the low timbre that I'd discovered turned her on and I nuzzled the side of her neck just below her ear. I had an uncontrollable urge to claim her. Her heart, her mind, her body, fuck even her tears were mine and I was consumed with the need to possess them all.

Her heart skipped a beat as I took the very tip of her earlobe between my lips and sucked slightly. Almost unconsciously, her head rolled back onto my shoulder and her hand found its way to my hair. I ran my fingertips up the outside of her thighs until I reached the very edge of the shirt. I moved my mouth slowly from her ear down her neck, dragging my tongue in a slow trail. The scent of her arousal mixed with the steam and permeated the air.

"Edward…," she moaned in that deep tenor that went straight to my groin.

I pressed myself against her as I gripped her waist and pulled her against me. Her hips pushed into my now painful erection and I let a groan of my own escape my lips as I continued to savor the taste of her skin.

"Oooohhhhh, Eddddwwwaaarrrddd!" the high pitched excruciatingly annoying squeal came from just outside the door. The shriek was followed by an exaggerated panting.

"Emmett," she laughed at the same time I growled.

"So maybe we need to get a rain check for that shower. Later tonight, once we're settled in Miami?" She sighed and kissed me once more.

"I'll hold you to that."

She swatted my rear as I stepped away from her and out the door. I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to quell both the raging fury and raging lust that burned through system. I walked back down the aisle of the bus and resumed my place on the mattress, scowling at my idiot brother, who did nothing but laugh. I noticed Jasper and Chip were deep in conversation. And their conversation obviously had nothing to do with our foiled rendezvous in the rear of the bus.

"Edward, this thing is more complicated than just keeping him away from her," Jasper sighed as his eyes caught Chip's. "We can't bar him from the clubs or hotels, because he is supposed to be there. And here's the really fun part; apparently he and Bella are contractually bound by Epic to appear on stage together when they play the same clubs. So, there's no way to just keep him away from her."

"I'm really starting to hate the phrase 'contractually obligated'. Does Epic know about all his shit?" I pinched the bridge of my nose as I leaned back against the padded seat cushion. It fucking figured that this had to be as difficult to manage as possible.

"They know she doesn't like playing with them, but honestly, they don't really care. What they care about is the tremendous attention the two of them playing together generates. And honestly, onstage together, they are dynamic… You'll see what I mean when we get to Houston." Chip's expression was somewhat disgusted as he spoke.

"Alright, the first thing I want is all the information possible on this guy. Jasper, call Jay Jenks and have him dig up every piece of info he can. I want to know who his fucking elementary school teachers were. And tell him that if he doesn't do a better job than he did finding Bella for me, I will personally pay him a visit to express my displeasure."

Jaz smiled at me wickedly as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Dude, don't freak out. He's just one human. So what if he's a freaky little human. You know as well as I do that he won't have the chance to hurt her. He's not stupid enough to try anything while they're on stage and he won't have the chance to once they're off," Emmett laughed at me.

"This **is** Bella," Chip and JP both answered in unison.

The mood lightened as everyone within earshot chuckled their agreement. Emmett had been right. Only my Bella could manage to find a deranged hair band wannabe to flip out on her.

The noise of the water from the shower came to an abrupt halt. There was a distinct "crack" followed by a very loud "fuck" that resounded through the bus. I saw both of my brothers snicker and Chip's head twisted in the direction of the bathroom.

"Bella, you okay?" he called out in an almost bored tone of voice.

"Yeah, just misjudged the speed at which the edge of the shower door could jump up and hit me," her voice called back. The faint hint of blood slithered its way toward my nose and told me she had not injured herself badly and even I had to laugh. Some things never would change.

"Just put your robe on and come out here. I need to trim you up."

"Fine, out in a few."

"Oh, hell no you aren't getting the scissors out today Fairy," JP growled.

"Relax, freak, only her and Dimitri. I promise I have no intention of ever touching your creature infested dreadlocks. If you ever see the light of day about those things, I will don work gloves to hack them off with a chain saw, I promise."

The door to the small room at the rear of the bus burst open and let a torrent of steam into the cabin of the bus. The overwhelming scent of freesia and strawberries and just a hint of blood took my breath away. I closed my eyes for a moment to savor the sensation and swallow the venom that momentarily pooled in my mouth.

She walked slowly up the aisle, her wet hair hanging almost past her perfect ass. Her skin was flushed from the heat of the water and her eyes had resumed the playful glint that had been there earlier this morning. She walked right past Chip, who had seated himself at the table that had been the dance floor for our Golden Arches trio this morning, and stalked her way directly toward me. She leaned over and kissed me with an intensity I'd not expected in front of so many people. As her hand grasped the back of my head and pulled me closer to her, I was overwhelmed by the need to touch her. I raised my hand to cup her cheek in my hand when she was forcefully pulled away from me.

I looked up to see Chip holding a hand full of her hair by the very ends and pulling on them as if he held the reigns of a saddle. She stumbled back a couple of steps and fell very gracelessly into his lap.

"You asshole! What the hell was that for?" she bellowed at his chuckling form.

"You two can maul each other when we get to Miami. I don't really have the desire to see you go at it with Romeo and I need to do this before I leave for New York," Chip smirked as he unceremoniously dropped her on the floor in front of him. Marcus handed him a large pair of shears and I found myself very thankful that he would be holding them rather than her. I didn't want to think about the damage she could do to herself with those.

"You're going to New York?" she swiveled around to look up at him. He nodded his head once and she unleashed a wicked grin. He snorted at her obvious delight in his brief absence and nudged her to turn away from him.

He yanked a brush through her hair harshly, his thoughts delighting in torturing her just a little bit. Every few seconds she would tense her shoulders and grimace. But he seemed wholly unconcerned at her obvious discomfort.

"Ow, stop. Let Edward do it," she whined, very cutely I might add.

All eyes locked on me at her words. I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled at her.

"What? So I help my wife tame that haystack, what's the big deal?" I was immensely glad that I didn't possess the ability to blush at that moment. Truth was I found it incredibly sexy to brush her hair. Each stroke not only released her aroma into the air, but it generally earned me several moans of pleasure.

As Chip began the process of cutting her hair, she closed her eyes and leaned back against his legs. There was a small smile on her face and she was humming. Her fingers were moving ever so slightly in her lap as she continued her unconscious actions. I listened harder to the melody she repeated over and over. It was the same song she'd been humming for more than a week now.

"JP? Do you have a keyboard somewhere that you could reach?" I asked him as quietly as possible.

He looked at me questioningly before he followed my gaze to Bella. He smiled and nodded as he rose. I was dying to see how exactly Bella wrote her songs. I knew how I composed, but I had the feeling that watching her would be an entirely different experience. I wrote each note down as I played and then reworked the notes until I felt I'd gotten them perfect. Bella, on the other hand, couldn't read or write music. So her compositions would come directly from her head. My desire to watch this process was not unlike my obsession with listening to her sleep talk. It was a glimpse inside the only silent mind I'd ever encountered.

JP returned seconds later with a small electric keyboard in his hand and held it out to me. I took the small instrument and slid onto my knees in front of her. I laid the keyboard in front of her and gently pulled her hands from her lap and placed them on the keyboard. Her eyes flew open in surprise, whether at my proximity to her or to my actions, I didn't know. She smiled at me lovingly as she realized what I was trying to do.

"Just close your eyes, baby. Don't think about it," I whispered into her ear before I resumed my place on the mattress. I noticed that JP had pulled an acoustic guitar from above one of the bins at the top of the bus and had placed a small recorder on the table beside him.

She continued to hum, her fingers motionless, for a few seconds as Chip meticulously worked his way through her mane with the scissors. She let out a small breath and then brought her fingers to the keys.

I was floored at what I watched. There was no hesitancy or doubt as her fingers flew over the keys, her eyes firmly closed. Every note, every chord flowed flawlessly into the next. There wasn't a missed key or sharp note to be heard. The song flowed from her fingers as if she'd been playing that particular song for years.

Emmett and Jasper both stared in wonder at the tiny figure on the floor of the bus. Even though they were not musically inclined themselves, it was not lost to them just how dramatic a feat they were witnessing. JP was watching her fingers intently and I realized that Dimitri and Felix had also switched their attention to her.

"Again," JP barked in a much more serious tone of voice than I'd ever heard him use. His thoughts were focused solely on the music that swirled around the bus.

She never opened her eyes, but she began the song again and played it note for note exactly the same way she'd done it the first time. Only this time, he strummed his fingers over the strings of his guitar. The chords he pulled from the gleaming wood were a perfect complimenting harmony to the song she played.

It was unlike anything I'd ever witnessed in my entire existence. It was absolutely fascinating to watch as the two of them seemed to communicate silently with the notes of their instruments. When they began again, I realized that Dimitri had picked up a guitar of his own and Felix had pulled a small electronic drum pad from somewhere. Jane had pulled a second keyboard out and was watching the two of them with absolute attention.

By the fifth time they had played the new melody, they had almost completely written the song. There was a completed bass and lead guitar line, the drum rhythm was in place and Jane had begun to add some of the keyboard accompaniments. The only things not in place were lyrics.

It was truly unfucking believable. These were first and foremost musicians. For as good as they were at performing and as focused as they were on the business aspect of the industry, the music is where their true passion came from. They were so in tune with each other's strengths that there had been virtually no conversation between them. But Bella simply astounded me. Her brain created the most mind-blowing compositions and then transmitted them to her hands with almost no effort. It was almost unfathomable how talented she was.

For the next hour, I watched in perfect stillness as they shaped the song. The only time they stopped was when the bathrobe became too hot for Bella and she excused herself long enough to put on a tee shirt and jeans. And then once more when JP insisted that if he didn't eat a bowl of multicolored cardboard like cereal that he was going to collapse with malnutrition. It wasn't until the bus pulled into the drive of the hotel in Miami that anyone, myself included, realized how much time had passed.

"All right guys, you have about four hours to relax and get settled. I need you guys ready to go at four. Sound check this afternoon, we'll come back for a couple of hours and then we leave for the show at nine," Chip barked out as the humans all stretched and reached for their bags.

"Aye, aye!" they all snapped back. Clearly, Chip's directions had been heard many many times.

I looked out of the window to see several cameramen and journalist standing outside the glass entrance to the hotel. Bella noticed them at the same time and groaned in frustration.

"Ready to run the gauntlet?" I asked her, trying to make her laugh.

She smiled and nodded as I reached for the long brown coat again.

"As long as I have my knight in shining armor to protect me, I'm ready," she smirked.

I pulled her as close to my chest as I could as I pulled the coat over our heads, Jasper and Emmett departing ahead of us. I kissed the tip of her nose and together we made our way into the mass of people, wrapped around each other.

Wrapped around each other.

I smiled as I realized that was exactly how we would face every dragon that stood in our path.

**Chapter Notes: I hate to type this but here goes. This is probably the last chap this week. Oldest baby (I married her dad when she was only 8, so how is it possible?) is graduating from high school Friday and I have 15 relatives heading in my direction for the next 5 days. I can't figure out how I can get you guys another chap with all the in-law folks swarming around. If I can escape for any amount of time, trust me, I will. But if not, I'll have one for you Monday.**

**Make me purr…I'm gonna need it.**


	5. Chapter 5Shredded Clothes and Black Outs

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that.**

****Jumps up and down squealing** I survived! The ceremony was great, but damn I was glad to see the cars pull away yesterday. Thanks for all the sympathy and understanding. You guys are too much.**

****On knees** In all my worry about the relatives, I forgot to do something very important in the A/N of Chapter 4. THANK MY GIRL JESS FOR ALL HER HARD WORK. I am so sorry honey! She has been a phenomenal help with the chapters and it killed me when I realized I hadn't thanked her properly. **

**Last but not least, a word about this chapter. This was not originally how the story progressed. But thanks to shirtless Italy pics and 2 hours on the MTV awards, my brain could concentrate on nothing except naked Rob/Edward. This is a bit of an indulgence for me, but I don't think you guys will be too upset. The chaps and story will get back on track for the plot progression after this, I promise.**

Chapter 5-Shredded Clothes and Black Outs

BPOV

The moment the door closed behind us in the hotel room, my back was pressed up against the cool wood. In a movement that I had not even caught, he had grasped my ass in both hands and lifted me high enough to wrap my legs around his waist. His mouth was hungry as he slid his tongue in between my lips and moaned deep within his chest.

"Baby, I need you. Right now," he rasped between simultaneous thrust of his hips and tongue.

I couldn't do anything but moan my own response. My body reacted on an instinctual level to his every touch. The second his hands touched me, I was instantly lost in the icy heat of his body.

He walked very quickly across the room and fell onto the bed. I loved the sensation of his body pressed fully into mine, his weight forcing me into the mattress. He ground his hips into me roughly as his hands literally ripped the clothes from my body.

There was something very feral and primal about him actually ripping my clothes away. It had happened several times over the last week and only once had there been any complaint. And that had not come from me. The first show we had done in Daytona had been very intense. As Edward and I kissed at the end of "My Immortal", he had slid his hand down to my rear and pulled me hard against his very prominent erection. He'd chuckled wickedly when my breath hitched. By the time we made it off stage, we were pawing frantically at each other. The red leather halter dress I'd been wearing was a casualty of our frenzied need. He'd simply bent me over the brown suede couch in our dressing room and ripped it straight down the back, leaving it in ruins. The dark gray leather pants he'd worn had met a similar fate and when we finally opened the door, more than an hour after the show was over; we'd had to endure the wrath of a very upset Chip as he held the scraps in his hands.

I had no idea where his intensity had come from. His eyes were dark as night and his breath ragged. I knew that this was, in part, his response to Emmett's interruption this morning. But had the feeling there was more to it than just that. He was lost in his desire and for Edward that was highly unusual. Aside from the morning after we were married, he'd never seemed on the verge of losing control. But I could sense that he was very close to that point as I felt his hands running over my overheated skin.

When we were both free of the confines of the cotton layers of our clothing, his pace intensified. I opened my legs wide for him as he licked and sucked my neck. By the time his rock hard member came into contact with my core, I was so wet that I could actually feel my own juices running down the curve of my butt.

"Edward…please," I begged him as I felt the tip of his head hovering at my entrance.

His answering thrust was enough to take my breath. In one motion, he had pushed himself in to the very base of his cock. With a single powerful swivel of his hips, I lost all control. My orgasm swept through me with the force of a wild fire and I screamed his name at the top of my lungs.

He fell into a gentle but steady pace as I rode out the final waves of my climax, never breaking for a second as my muscles spasmed around him. He was braced on his arms above me, watching as I fell apart beneath him. His eyes were filled with lust and need as he gazed at me and his grin was nothing short of sinful.

"That's one, baby. I want at least four more. I'm feeling very greedy today." The deep tenor of his voice combined with his words reignited the heat in my stomach. I was positive he would get what he wanted.

I lifted my hips to meet his as he continued his slow thrust and his eyes closed. He was beyond beautiful. Edward on any given day was magnificent to behold, but Edward in the throes of pleasure was surely a sight that should be reserved for the heavens. He opened his eye after just a few moments and leaned forward to kiss me.

I opened my mouth to him, but his kiss never deepened. Instead he pushed himself away from my body and sat back on his heels. We never lost contact and his rhythm never faltered as he grabbed my hips and pulled me flush against his pelvic bone. I gasped at the change of his angle and felt another wave of arousal flood the sheet below me.

His hips stilled as he ran his hands over my stomach, down my thighs and around my calves. He grasped both of my ankles and pushed my legs forward to my chest, my knees automatically bending against my torso. He kissed each knee cap before he straightened my legs and pushed my feet back toward the headboard behind me. The new position gave him an entirely different depth of penetration and I felt my eyes roll back in my head.

He began his movements at the same pace he'd left off at. With every push, the electric spark in my stomach and lower back grew. He was going to get number two very quickly like that.

"Fuck…I wish you could see, baby. So perfect…so fucking wet for me. Only me."

If his motions hadn't already been enough, his words were. For the second time, I came hard against him. I could feel the surge of moisture coat his skin as he pushed against me relentlessly, my ankles still grasped in his hands. My legs shook as my body was racked with the blissful ripples of pleasure.

"That's two."

I was almost to the point of being incapable of coherent speech as he placed a foot on each of his shoulders and ran his hands up and down my legs. He had slowed his thrusts slightly, but had not stopped, so the incredible sensations he was provoking from my body once again began to build.

With an impish grin, he turned his head to the right and nuzzled the bottom of my foot where it sat just above his collar bone. With a slowness I wasn't capable of, he snaked his tongue out and placed the very tip against the skin of my arch. I watched dumbstruck as he licked a path up my foot and then circled my toe. His eyes never left mine as he took my big toe into his mouth and sucked. I'd never in my life thought that my foot could trigger the same pressures and tingling that other, more obvious, parts of my anatomy could. But with each pull from his mouth, I felt myself clench around him.

"God…Edward…I can't….don't stop," I stuttered. I should have been embarrassed by my reaction, but I couldn't feel anything but the mounting waves of my quickly approaching orgasm and his tongue as it teased me torturously.

He released my toe from his mouth and very intentionally pushed his tongue into the small space between my first and second toes. At the same moment, he slammed his cock deeply into me. I could not pull my eyes away from his mouth as he matched the action of his tongue on my toes to his hips. Over and over and over he jack-hammered into me, each movement urging the pressure in my abdomen lower.

I gripped the comforter at my sides as I felt the tide wash over me for the third time. The force of my explosion was unbelievable. I screamed his name again and again and my muscles all seemed to seize up. My mind was utterly blank of everything except for the feeling of Edward as he continued to drive into me with merciless force and the wicked chuckle that rained down on me from his lips.

As the last current shuddered through me, my legs fell from his shoulders and crashed to the mattress, the muscles too weak to control the descent. My lungs were on fire as I struggled to catch my breath. I felt the pillow under my head jerk away in a swift move and I fell back limply into the sheets.

Edward never once broke his stride as he continued to hammer into me.

He leaned down and kissed me much more softly and gently than he was fucking me. The action was so tender and so diametrically opposite from his movements that it startled me. I opened my eyes to see him smiling into his kiss. The light in his eyes seemed to invigorate my body. With a final thrust, he pulled out as he broke the kiss.

"Roll over, baby."

His palm urged me to roll to my right where I discovered that he'd placed two pillows on top of each other right beside my hip. A third pillow had been positioned in the exact spot that my head would fall in this position. I very willingly complied with his request as I turned and lay stomach down, my ass elevated to the exact level of his hips.

He entered me quickly and then covered my body with his as he began to pump into me. His hands grasped mine and I threaded my fingers through his. His pace was slower but the angle allowed him deeper into my body than he'd ever been. The growl I could hear building in his chest told me that the new sensations were not just pushing me back to the brink, but him as well.

"Oh, fuck…so tight…Bella…God," he roared into my neck. I could feel the slight swelling as he reached the very edge of his own orgasm. With one powerful thrust, his orgasm erupted, coaxing a fourth from my body. We both tightened around each other and his hips jerked in smaller thrusts with each jolt of his release.

I loosened my grip on his hands and began to sink into the cushioning below me, but he wasn't quite done.

"On your knees," he commanded. His voice was sharp and left no room for objections. As if I would have had any.

Without hesitation, I pulled my knees up toward the pillows. He yanked the pillows away and I was vaguely aware of them crashing into the nightstand beside the bed as he threw them. In a lightening quick movement, he flipped himself onto his back and slid underneath me. He wrapped his hands around my hip bones and pulled me to his mouth.

The moment I made contact with his frigid tongue, I hissed in absolute ecstasy. His lips and tongue were everywhere. On my clit, sliding expertly along the slick folds of my lips and delving deeply into my core. I bucked against the overwhelming sensations, but his hands held me motionless.

I let my chest fall to the mattress as he ate me out completely. I'd entertained the thought that I couldn't possibly handle any more when he slid two fingers inside me and curled them upwards. He pumped his fingers in a perfect compliment to the movements of his tongue. My maestro was playing my body with absolute precision to coax the moans and grunts he wanted from me.

He turned his head into my thigh and placed his lips on the skin where my leg and hip joined. I felt a powerful suction as he marked me, staking his claim to my body. The intimacy of his action with the constant ministrations of his fingers began the extremely familiar burn in my stomach once again.

"Do you trust me?" His words were muffled against my lips as he returned his attention to my aching core.

I was so far gone I could do nothing but grunt out my answer. I felt his fingers slide out of me briefly and then return, but the sensation was different. I realized through my lust induced haze that he had switched from using one hand to the other only because as he slid into me I could not feel the moisture coating his digits. He increased his pace with his left hand, his tongue never breaking contact with my slick folds and the fire began to race toward yet another explosion.

I was bracing myself for the onslaught when I felt his right hand slide across the cheek of my ass. His fingers, still coated in my own juices, fluttered down my crack in a barely discernable motion. As his fingertip came into contact with my anus, an entirely new wave of pleasure swept over me.

Feeling my muscles clamp around the fingers of his left hand, he sucked my clit into his mouth and slid a single finger into my ass. Until that second, I only thought I knew what a mind altering orgasm was. Every cell in my body exploded with the power of my release. I couldn't breathe or blink or move so much as an eyelash as the astounding force swept through me.

He slowed his movements, but he did not stop as I panted into the pillow. Both hands and his mouth kept up a steady dance against my now quivering body. As one hand surged forward the other would retreat almost to the point of breaking contact before they reversed their motions.

When he slipped a second finger into my ass and a third into my core, I began to whimper helplessly. I was literally sitting on him, my legs having gone numb and limp during the last orgasm.

"I…Edwar….please…I can't take…"

My pleas spurned him on to once again increase his pace. I had never in my life felt as filled or overwhelmed with passion. My entire body began to shake and I became aware of a sensation in my belly that signaled yet another eruption. I also became conscious of a strange keening sound that confused me until I realized that it was coming from my own mouth as I neared my peak again. And then I was overcome with a tsunami of pleasure that I felt from the roots of my hair to the very tips of my toes.

The next thing I was aware of was Edward's voice calling my name, although he sounded much farther away than he should have. I felt heavy, weighted as I struggled against the blackness that surrounded me.

"Baby, open your eyes for me. Come on Bella, open your eyes." I felt the crisp sheets of the bed on my back and I realized that I was cradled in his arm while he stroked my forehead gently.

My eyes fluttered open and found him hovering above me. The look on his face was the single smuggest expression I'd ever seen. He broke out one of my crooked smiles as he leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Are you awake now?"

"What happened? How did I end up on my back?"

"Well, love, I believe that you just proved that an orgasm actually can make you lose consciousness." He chuckled victoriously as he pressed his lips against my forehead.

"I passed out? For how long?" I could not believe what he was telling me. The man had made me come until I had blacked out. I'd always thought that was an urban legend. But the more I thought about my current position and circumstance, the more amazed I became. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips.

"What's so funny?" he smirked, obviously still amused at his accomplishments.

"I always thought that was an urban legend, but I just realized that I am married to an urban legend. So I guess nothing is impossible."

He laughed with me as my words settled over us like a blanket. He pulled me onto his chest as he rolled onto his back.

"How many? I know you kept count," I teased him. He was obviously quite pleased with himself. And damn if he shouldn't have been.

"Well, technically six, but I think the last two should count twice, so I'm recording the tally at eight." The smile on his face was glorious.

I just shook my head and laughed as I burrowed deeper into his arms. I was utterly and completely spent. My body felt almost numb, like my muscles had all dissolved into jelly. My breathing had not yet returned to normal. But his fingertips as they stroked up and down my spine were doing wonders for calming me.

"Where did that come from?"

"What do you mean? I wanted to make love to my wife. Do I need any more reason than that?" His voice sounded slightly indignant as he spoke.

I pushed up from his chest to look into his eyes. They were not as dark as they had been minutes before, but I noticed that they were much darker than normal. The shadows under his eyes were a deep violet and stood out in stark contrast to the pale skin of his cheeks. I lifted my finger and gently traced the outline of the circles. There was a slight crease between his eyebrows as he looked down at me, but his expression was not one of anger.

"You never need any more reason than that. You just seemed more…intense than usual."

He stilled my fingers against his skin and brought my hand to his mouth. Very lightly, he kissed the tip of each finger and then the pulse point at my wrist.

"Did I hurt you?" There was a hint of concern in his voice and the furrow between his brows grew deeper.

"No, I think we can safely say that was the furthest away from 'hurt' as is possible," I chuckled. My laughter seemed to please him and he smiled widely.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I certainly did. I might have to see if I can make you pass out again tonight." His voice dripped with sensuality and the look on his face was not unlike the cat that ate the canary.

I jerked up from his chest and stared at him wide eyed.

"Oh, no you don't. That is not going to be your new goal every time we're in bed together. As much as I enjoyed that, I do not like passing out all the time."

He threw his head back and laughed as his arms wrapped tighter around my body. The sound was infectious and I felt myself giggling into the cool expanse of his chest. We were still laughing when the loud bang against the door interrupted.

"Edward? Bella? Open up."

"Jasper?" we both called out as we looked at the door. I pulled the sheet up to my chin and wrapped it around my chest as I moved to get off the bed. Edward groaned as I pulled away from him and reached out to grab the end of the sheet. I looked over my shoulder at him and was stunned by the gleam in his eye as he watched me move across the room. He looked every bit the predator as his gaze roamed over me but there was nothing frightening him. On the contrary, he was mesmerizing in all his naked glory.

"You might want to pull the comforter over yourself baby. We don't want to give Jaz a show now do we?" I teased him as I grasped the handle of the door.

"You guys gonna open up or keep flirtin' with each other?" drawled from the hallway as I pulled the door open. Jasper was leaning against the door frame with one eyebrow cocked and a small folder under his arm. He very obviously took in my disheveled appearance before he glanced over my shoulder at Edward. He shook his head in amusement as he stepped into the room.

"Bella, sorry to interrupt, but I need a couple of minutes with Edward."

"No interruption, I need to get into the shower any way. Make yourself at home." I crossed the room to kiss Edward before disappearing into the shower. As I leaned toward him, I realized that the conversation Jaz had needed to have with him had already begun. Edward's face was stern and serious as he looked at his brother. He'd pushed himself up against the headboard and his muscles were tensed.

"It's not nice to keep secrets you two," I taunted them. I tried to keep the mood light but I wanted to let Edward know that I knew something was going on. His eyes cut to me with a somewhat shocked expression. It quickly melted into resignation and he huffed out a breath as I gently kissed his lips.

"No secrets, baby. You get in the shower and let me talk to Jaz. I promise I'll give you all the gory details later. But if I make you late again, Chip is going to have my head."

"Which one," Jasper snorted. He'd settled himself into a chair by the window and was pulling Edward's computer toward him on the small table. The folder he'd brought in was simple and plain, but I had the feeling that the information inside was anything but simple.

But I trusted Edward. So I knew that he would tell me what was going on when he had all the facts. Gone were the days of him keeping me in the dark or telling me half truths to protect me. That knowledge brought a wave of peace over me as I tried to imagine what the two of them were discussing.

"Did you bring the recorder from the bus, Edward?"

"Yeah, it's in the side of my bag. Why?"

"I just want to listen to it. There's something buzzing around in my head that won't stop and I think it may fit the new song." I walked to his bag that had been dropped by the door and lifted the small recorder. I took the small device and made my way into the large bathroom. I was just about to close the door when Edward called to me.

"Baby."

"Yeah," I responded as I leaned my head around the door to look at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed glaring at Jasper as his brother held his jeans just out of reach. He looked back at me and grinned his perfect crooked smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I blew him a kiss and turned back toward the bathroom. As the door was closing, I heard Jasper's low voice.

"Jesus, Edward, how the hell do you handle that? I could smell it down the hall it was so strong."

My face flamed as I realized what Jasper was referring to.

Me and my scent.

Damn vampires and their super senses.

**Chapter Notes: Yeah, so I just wanted to get him naked. Tell me you guys haven't thought the same thing. Let me hear it. I've gone too long without being able to purr.**


	6. Chapter 6Videos

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

****Pouts lip out** Are you guys mad at me? Naked Edward chapter, lots of hits but only a few reviews. What's up? I know you guys can do better. I'll get down on my knees to beg if that's what it takes.**

**On to happier things (sort of)**

**PlayList:**

**I'm Not Afraid- Lacuna Coil**

**What Have You Done- Within Temptation**

**Both of these can be found on YouTube, but if you look it up, choose one of the videos that shows the lyrics. These are the versions that I "see" when I visualize this chapter. You really need to listen to the songs to get the full effect of the chapter. There are emotions in the songs that you have to feel.**

**You've always trusted me on the music, so I'm asking you to do it again.**

Chapter 6-Videos

EPOV

"Do you have some uncontrollable urge to see my penis or what? Give me the damn pants," I growled at Jasper who snickered at my irritation. He threw the wad of denim at my head and then turned his attention to the papers he'd laid out on the table. I pulled the pants on as I stood and looked over his shoulder at the print outs he'd laid out for me.

When he'd come into the room, he'd told me silently that he had some information on the Sebastian guy that I might find interesting. Of course, he'd only gotten to that part after giving me shit about our very obvious activities of the afternoon. She had looked so unbelievable beautiful as she opened the door to my brother that I was momentarily jealous that he'd seen her in all her disheveled flushed glory. Her hair had been a jumble of matted curls and her skin had still glistened with a sheen of sweat as she'd wrenched the door open. But the heady thick scent of her arousal that had still hung thick in the air was what had provoked my jealousy. That was for me and me alone.

"No, asshat, I don't have any desire to see you naked. It's just too much fun to provoke you. After a half century of you listening in on Ali and me, I couldn't miss the opportunity. By the way, you two are going to cause a surge in the human population if you keep at it like jack rabbits. I can only take so much, particularly with my wife a thousand miles away."

"Whatever. What have you got for me?"

"Jenks was flustered to say the least that you'd found Bella, so he apparently is anxious to do a better job on Sebastian. What he sent me is just the basic information, but it's enough to know he needs to dig deeper. I've also got a couple of videos, courtesy of JP."

"Videos? What the fuck?" My anger instantly flared. The rage that I'd suppressed on the bus pushed its way into the forefront of my mind.

"Relax, Ed. They're videos of him and Bella performing together. I just thought you'd want to see what the guy looks like." His grin told me that he knew exactly what my mind had conjured when he'd said the word "video". "Perv," he chuckled as he took in my expression.

I pulled the small stack of papers toward me as I registered the water to the shower coming on. I could hear Bella muttering to herself as she moved around the bathroom. It sounded almost as if she was trying to recite a poem. Only when I hear the small click of the recorder did I realize that she was muttering lyrics to herself. That's what she'd meant when she'd told me that something was buzzing around in her head. She was finishing the song.

I smiled to myself at the realization as I focused my eyes on the papers in front of me. After only two lines, the smile faded as I took in what was before me.

I was staring at a police record for Sebastian Steele.

There were half a dozen arrests for assault, three for public intoxication, one for simple possession and one for attempted breaking and entering. The breaking and entering charge was from his attempt to gain access to my Bella's hotel room.

"Fuck," I spat as I read the incident reports for each charge. The first two arrests had been for a fight that had broken out in a bar and both patrons had been arrested then released several hours later. But after that, the incidents of assault grew progressively more violent. By the sixth arrest, he had viciously attacked a woman with a steel pipe outside of one of his shows. The attack had been unprovoked as far as the report showed but it did not escape my notice that the victim had been five foot six with long brown hair.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd like that. This guy is volatile Edward. No impulse control and a quick temper. He also seems to be the nightmare version of a rock star. There are a string of destroyed hotel rooms across the country courtesy of this guy. And from what JP said this morning, the guy is probably an alcoholic. I don't need to tell you that the combination is dangerous."

I looked into my brother's face to see a mirror image of what I was feeling. He was livid that this guy had been not only allowed to be near Bella, but encouraged by Epic. He was a time bomb waiting to explode and he had, for whatever reason, made Bella the focus of his attentions. He reached across the computer and pushed the power button. The hum of the device pulled me from my thoughts as I watched the small screen come alive.

"The first two I'm gonna show you are her on stage with EMD. Then, I've got one of him on stage with her. The last one…well, just watch. Just a word of warning, you're not gonna like what you see, but I think you'll find Bella's reactions interesting."

The screen filled with the image of the stage of a club. It was obviously much smaller than Blood Lust, or even the bar in Daytona. The placement of the instruments was very similar to EverClear's set up; only this was a four piece band. All of the men were dressed in black and to a human, they would have appeared menacing. They all wore expressions of anger or hostility. The bass player on the left of the screen was drinking deeply from a large bottle of Jack Daniels and the guitar player was pulling on a cigarette. Dead center of the screen stood Sebastian.

His brown hair hung to his elbows. His frame was lanky and thin, but the man was tall. Perhaps taller than I was. He wore a black leather jacket over his bare chest. Visible beneath the coat was a tattoo across his torso that I was unable to make out on the screen. I supposed that he would be considered good-looking. He had a very young appearance and wide blue eyes. But there was an undeniable air of aggression to him.

As the band began the intro to a song that I'd never heard his voice spewed from the small speakers on either side of the computer. It was deep and raspy in stark contrast with his youthful appearance.

"We got a special treat for y'all tonight. Put you hands together for EverClear's own ice queen, Bella Swan." As he spoke he gripped the microphone stand tight enough with both hands to see the knuckles turn white. As he uttered her name, he closed his eyes and then took a few steps backwards toward the drum kit.

My beautiful wife stepped onto the stage and walked to the front without a note of hesitation. She was dressed very similarly to the way I'd first seen her at Delirious two weeks ago, only her outfit was white. She smiled brilliantly as she looked out into the crowd and her hand touched her choker fastened around her neck as she prepared to begin the song. Sebastian, however, watched her with narrow eyes and a sneer on his face. When the song began, white hot rage burned through me as I listened to the disturbing lyrics.

"**Watch your back**

**Because I am coming close**

**Shivers down your spine**

**You were not expecting me**

**How does it feel**

**To be faced in your territory**

**Are you afraid to see me here"**

She sang in a voice much lower than her normal registry. Ever the consummate professional, she delivered each line to the crowd before her as if singing a personal serenade. She tossed her head in perfect time with the song and it was evident that she held the audience's absolute attention.

Sebastian stood three feet behind her, motionless. His eyes never left her body as she moved back and forth across the stage. His hands were tensed into fists at his sides, as if he was awaiting attack. At the approach of the song's chorus, he licked his lips and raised the mic to his mouth.

"**I'm not afraid**" his voice rang out from behind her as he stalked toward her, her back still facing him.

"**To take my time**

**To live my life**

**The way I want to"** she sang back. She was obviously aware that he was approaching her, but she never gave any indication of feeling uneasy. Only her eyes gave away the nervousness that she felt. It would only be apparent to those that knew and loved her that she was uncomfortable with the situation.

"**I'm not afraid"** he sang back as he stood with his chest pressed against her back. His left hand pressed against her hip, holding her to him.

"**To take you down**

**And live my life**

**As I want to"** she answered him. His arm had snaked its way around her waist as she sang the lines. But as she finished the last note of the lyric, she quite obviously elbowed him in the stomach. He visibly flinched at the contact and released his hold on her as he sang the last line of the chorus.

I heard Jasper chuckle as he watched beside me.

The rest of the song continued in much the same way. He played a cat and mouse game with her all over the stage. Every time he would touch her, she would physically halt the contact. By the end of the song, she had not only elbowed him, but also kicked her foot backwards into his shin and stamped her foot down hard onto the top of his foot with her high heel. Most disturbing to me though was that no matter what she did to him, he never retreated away from her. He would temporarily release his hold on her, but he never moved out of her proximity.

As the song faded, she thanked the crowd and left the stage. The camera shooting the video followed her as she exited into the wings of the stage. There waiting for her, with the angriest expression I'd ever seen on his face, was JP. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder; shot Sebastian an "eat-shit-and-die" look and the two of them left the stage without a backward glance.

I looked at Jasper as the screen went blank. His thoughts were conflicted as he processed the video. On one hand, he was reveling in Bella's blatant injury of the jackass every time he touched her. On the other, he understood how twisted a response the man had to her repeated attempts to dislodge herself from his touch.

"Not the response I expected from Bella. She's no shrinking violet anymore," my brother said proudly. I had to agree with him. Her response was magnificent. Not once had she flinched away from him or recoiled in fear. She had very brazenly defended herself against his advances. Her response in the face of her aggressor was so dramatically different than the emotions she'd expressed this morning that it was almost unfathomable to comprehend her strength.

We both turned our heads toward the bathroom door as we heard Bella's voice. She was singing. The small recorder was playing her newest composition and she was belting out the most astounding lyrics in perfect harmony with the song. I closed my eyes and let her voice wash over me. Every note, every line was perfect.

"I do believe that sounds like a love song Edward," Jasper said softly.

I nodded my head in agreement, a stupid smile spreading across my face. The words were simply beautiful and filled with a relaxed confident love. My still heart blazed in my chest at the knowledge that she was singing about me. As Jasper's hand placed another disc into the drive of the laptop, I reluctantly pulled my attention away from the siren in the other room and refocused it on the screen before me.

As the first images filled the screen, another knock at the door startled me. I'd been so intent on listening to Bella and watching the video, that I had not registered the mind making its way down the hall outside. JP was humming "Dueling Banjos" in a low overly exaggerated twang as he waited for someone to open the door.

"Bitch, open up," he called out as he pounded the door once again.

Jasper laughed out-right at the greeting and my grimace at the horrible term of endearment. He stood and crossed the room in three long strides. As the door flew open, JP stood in the hallway, his hair still pulled into the ridiculous jumble atop his head. He was rocking back and forth from his toes to his heels in impatience. He looked wide eyed at Jasper and then over his shoulder at me clad only in my jeans. His mouth split into a huge smirk.

"Ahhh, I see. You guys make it a family affair."

The twin growls that escaped both of our mouths startled him. His hands flew up in front of him and his eyes were wide with shock. He quickly shook his head back and forth before he had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry. That was inappropriate, even from me. Can I come in? I'll behave, I promise."

Jasper felt his sincerity as well as I heard it in his mind and stepped aside to let him in. He scanned the room searching for a tray from room service that he could pilfer and let out an audible groan when he realized there was none to be had. He flopped onto the bed, looking around the room. His mind registered Bella in the shower and his thoughts briefly dropped into the gutter.

"JP," I warned.

"Sorry, dude. I just expected you to be in there with her. What are y'all doin'?"

"Watching the videos you gave me," Jasper answered as he reclaimed his seat at the table.

"Which one? Her elbowing him, pushing him or slapping him?" His voice was amused as he recalled the contents of the discs he'd given Jasper.

"What?!" My voice was louder than I'd anticipated and I heard Bella's singing momentarily stop as she heard me. A heartbeat later, the water shut off and I heard the rustling of the terry cloth towel as she pulled it from the rung on the wall.

"Edward? Everything ok?" Her voice was higher than its usual pitch as she tried blindly to figure out what had provoked my outburst.

"Fine. JP and Jaz are in here with me." I knew I was being evasive, that she was asking for more than the occupants of the room, but until I had viewed all the videos, I didn't want to discuss them with her.

"Hey Asshole. No food for you to mooch right now," she teased through the still closed door. I heard the small thud of the towel as she dropped it to the tile floor of the lavatory and then a rustling as she pulled the robe off the back of the hook on the door.

When she opened the door wide, for the second time today, a flood of her scent laced steam engulfed the room. Jasper and I both stilled momentarily and inhaled as she walked across the room toward me.

"That's really fucking creepy guys," JP cringed. Both of us snapped our heads toward him, still sprawled across the bed and tried to look somewhat apologetic. Bella didn't even take notice of the exchange. She dropped herself gracefully into my lap and handed me her hairbrush. Without thinking, I began the pattern of untangling the mile long snarls of hair that cascaded down her back.

"What are you watching?" she asked the room at large when she noticed the image on the screen of the computer. Jasper and I looked to each other but JP made the decision to tell her for us.

"You and shit head on stage."

"I hate those damn tapes. Why do you keep them, JP?" she groaned.

He didn't answer her but rose quietly from the bed and stood behind Jasper. He glanced over his shoulder to the screen and shook his head.

"Watch the other one. All she does in that one is push him on his ass when he tries to kiss her neck. The other one has her slappin' the hell out of him on stage in front of five thousand people," JP chuckled. I felt the blush creep up my wife's neck from her position on my lap. In a moment of weakness, I leaned forward and placed my lips against the skin of her neck, soaking in the erotic heat of her blood just below the surface.

"Edward! Population control man. Stop it." Jasper was trying to sound irritated, but only managed frustrated. He replaced the disc with the one JP had indicated and pressed play.

When the new image appeared on the screen, it was obviously an EverClear show. JP and Dimitri stood on either side of the stage. Bella was perched atop the left side tower of the stage and looked down right illegal in the outfit Chip had put her in that night. The camera focused on her for a moment before the lights went out on the sides of the stage.

"That is why I keep the tape, sweetheart. I have dreams about that fucking costume," JP sighed. I knew I should object to his blatant ogling of my wife, but fuck me, who could blame him. I seriously needed to make Chip pull that one out again very soon.

Bella stood on the stage in the most sinful outfit ever created. The black halter top was cropped very high, just below the edge of her breast. The fabric seemed almost painted on it was so tight against her perfect curves. But what drew my attention, and apparently every other male that had ever seen this outfit, was the center clasp on the top. Handcuffs. Fucking handcuffs. They were snapped shut through each other and each side was attached to the scrap of fabric at her side. The effect was an obscene amount of cleavage that was highlighted with the steel cuffs. She had on an extremely short black skirt that was similar to the blue one I'd first seen her in. The leather didn't meet on the sides of her hips, but was instead held together by a single metal restraint on each side. Black thigh high boot finished off the ensemble to create the most fantasy inducing outfit I'd ever seen. And of course, she had on her choker.

My hips shifted unconsciously underneath her and my hands instinctively tightened around her waist.

"Edward!" Jasper snapped sharply.

Bella looked over her shoulder with at coy smile as she took in my appearance. I was positive my eyes had gone black again.

The unfamiliar intro that poured from the speakers snapped my attention away from my growing…problem…and back to the screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome EMD's very own Sebastian Steele," JP"s voice rang through the club as the song picked up its pace and intensity. We all watched as JP and Dimitri stepped to their microphones.

"**What have you done now,"** shouted out through the room. The lights flooded the stage in a choreographed pattern to the song. Both towers on the stage remained in darkness for a few moments longer before the now familiar voice of Sebastian cut through the room. As he began the song, a single spot light directed the attention of the audience to him where he stood on the top of the right side tower.

"**I know I'd better stop trying**

**You know there's no use denying**

**I won't show mercy on you now**"

"Jesus Christ," I roared, "who wrote this fucking song?"

"I did," Bella said in a voice just barely above a whisper. I instantly felt horrible. She gave no sign of anger or being uncomfortable. Just the opposite actually. She was still as stone as she watched her own form was illuminated on the stage as she joined the song. Her voice seared with an emotion I'd not heard in any of her songs. It was high and almost shrill in its intensity.

As they sang the chorus, the camera was trained on Bella. There was an uncomfortable feel to the song. It was beautiful but there was a disturbing cadence to the delivery. The two opposing voices almost battled for dominance. She turned her body on the platform to face him as the chorus played out. There was fierceness to her stance, as if she was challenging him. I couldn't help but smile. My kitten was showing her tiger stripes. When the chorus ended, there was harsh interlude in the music that she thrashed her head to in perfect rhythm.

As the next verse began, she made her way down the steps that would lead to the walkway around the room. The next set of lyrics made me shudder as her amazing voice delivered them, his voice echoing hers.

"**Would you mind if I killed you**

**Would you mind if I tried to **

**Cause you've turned into my worst enemy**

**You carry hate that I don't feel**

**It's over now**

**What have you done?"**

As she sang the verse she moved toward the center tower in the room. The camera followed her as she purposefully stalked toward her aggressor until he too was visible in the lens. She stood eye to eye with him in the center of the room as she sang the final line of the verse and then the two of them stared each other down.

As the chorus began again, they were only inches apart. She held her chin high as she wailed the lyrics. On the second line, he grabbed her forcefully around the waist and pulled her body flush with his. The look in his eye was murderous as they screamed at each other. She very forcefully pushed him away from her as they continued to sing, but once again, he was undeterred. He reached out and hooked one finger under the pendant at her neck with his free hand as the chorus neared its close.

And she slapped the holy hell out of him.

It was hard enough to make him stagger back and grasp his cheek with his hand. In the same moment, she took off down the stairs and raced back toward the main stage area. After a second of recover, he followed her in a dead sprint. He literally looked like a rabid dog chasing his prey.

The reached the stage just as the bridge of the song began and I realized that both Dimitri and JP had moved from their usual positions on the side of the stage. They had both firmly planted themselves in the center of the stage, between Bella and Sebastian. They remained there for the duration of the song.

When the song was over, the stage lights went out and Bella stormed from the stage, Dimitri right behind her. We watched as a security guard stood on the opposite side of the stage and JP nudged Sebastian toward him and away from Bella. The crowd was deafening in their enthusiasm for the scene that had played out.

As the screen went blank, Bella finally shifted in my lap. She turned her body and wrapped her arm around my neck. There was the strangest expression on her face. It was an unfamiliar mix of pride and fear.

"I wrote that about Sebastian and James. I don't perform it unless he's with us. I don't like the way it makes me feel, but the crowds love it," she softly explained.

"Who wrote the other one, 'I'm Not Afraid'?" I asked her, hoping that I wouldn't upset her.

"That's all him."

"Can I ask why you slapped him?" I was truly curious about the motivation. When he'd touched her, she merely pushed him away. But when he'd touched her choker, she'd assaulted him.

"I was afraid he was going to rip my pendant off. He had his finger underneath it and was pulling on it. And my choker was my connection to you. No one was going to take it from me." she said with absolute conviction.

I kissed her fiercely. Her devotion to me, even then, when she'd believed me gone forever was miraculous. I would never, in a hundred lifetimes, deserve her love.

"You see, my girl doesn't take his shit," JP crowed in delight. Jasper was every bit as impressed with her display as JP was. His thoughts were swirling with pride for his little sister and her unwavering courage. But there was an underlying vein of concern for her safety that mirrored my own. Once a more complete profile of information came from Jay Jenks, we would need to sit down and figure out exactly what to do about this asshole before the situation got any more dangerous for Bella.

She leaned forward and kissed me very softly once, twice and then a third time, as if she knew what I was thinking about. She rose from my lap and walked to her abandoned bag by the dresser. After rummaging through for a moment, she disappeared into the bathroom once again with a hand full of clothes. I noticed that the clock on the side table read 3:50 pm. We'd need to leave for sound check shortly and I realized incredulously that I still had on nothing more than a pair of jeans.

I pulled my own suitcase onto the bed and grabbed the first shirt that my hands hit. I pulled it over my head and sat down to put my shoes back on. JP leaned over and peered into my case and began shifting things around.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked him skeptically.

"Yeah, give me a pair of shoes. I don't want to walk back to my room." He continued to rummage around in the bag until he located a pair of dock shoes. Without a word or a glance in my direction, he slid them onto his feet. Jasper barked out a laugh at his boldness and I just shook my head. There was no point in arguing, but I made a mental note to pick up another pair. Even in the unlikely event that he returned them, knowing what I did about JP and his hygiene, I didn't want to ever slip my feet into the shoes again.

I turned my back to the bathroom door to gather my wallet and phone off the dresser while I told Jasper that at some point I wanted to watch the other two videos. After only seconds I heard the click of the door and immediately JP and Jasper howled in laughter. I turned to see Bella framed in the door wearing a tiny white tee shirt and very low cut jeans. The tee shirt looked like it had been made for a toddler it was so tight and the hem left a good three inch gap between the top of her pants and the bottom of the shirt. But what had prompted the laughter was what was printed across the shirt.

In bold red letters that were designed to look like dripping blood were the words "I kissed a Vampire and I liked it." I couldn't help but laugh with them. Only my Bella.

"Where in the crap did you get that," JP sputtered through his guffaws. Jasper simply wrapped his arm around her arm and kissed her on the top of the head as he continued to laugh.

"Alice left it for me. Apparently, there is a new vampire movie that has everyone in an up-roar. The lead actor is supposed to be a hottie." She smiled widely at me as she reached for the door.

We filed out of the room, still laughing at the absurdity of her shirt and made our way toward the elevator. Even with her wrapped in my arms and leaning against me as we rode the nine floors down to the lobby, I couldn't help but feel like our lives had taken on a surreal quality.

"By the way," JP said, "I have the press conference set up for 2 pm tomorrow. In the morning, your husband can buy me breakfast and we'll go over what we want to say."

Bella stiffened in my arms at the mention of the press conference. She would never cease to amaze me. A crazy man with some unfathomable agenda with her that all but stalks her and she slapped the shit out of him. A few reporters and fifteen minutes of questions, she froze.

I was beginning to think that we had all fallen down the rabbit hole and into a world that none of us had a clue existed. But there was time to worry about that later. I leaned into her and placed my lips at the very edge of her ear. I felt her pulse speed slightly and her breathing hitched in her chest at my touch.

"So, baby, about that outfit…"


	7. Chapter 7Sebastian

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**This chapter was a tough one to write. I think you'll understand why once you've read it. There is a distinct departure from the normal feel of the story here. It's necessary for the character. Please keep that in mind as you read.**

**I am completely paranoid about this chapter, so please leave me some feedback. I really hope that it comes across the way I intended it.**

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sebastian Steele**

Chapter -Sebastian

SPOV

Mother fucking dreams.

Always the same mother fucking dreams.

I looked around the dark hotel room somewhere in Louisiana. Standard shit. Too small television, shitty bed with a cum stained comforter and lamps nailed to the wall two inches away from where you could actually reach them without getting your ass out of bed.

I stared at the reflection in the mirror. I didn't recognize the person that looked back at me. Elbow length hair, hollow eyes, boozy yellow tinted skin and a tattoo on the side of my neck. Granddaddy would've had my ass for looking like a fucking girl. Or a queer. That's what he'd of called it. I called it not giving a shit.

"Bastian, come to bed baby," a whiney voice behind me pulled me from the image in front of me. I looked over my shoulder to see if the voice was in the room. Or in my head.

Crappy dye job brown hair was sprawled out across the pillow case. Long arms were held out for me. The putrid smell of perfume and smoke and booze hung thick in the air surrounding the body in the bed.

The voice was real. And in my room.

Bitch had to go.

I took a few steps back to the end of the bed and picked up the denim pile tangled on the footboard. I dug through the pocket and grabbed a hand full of bills. I tossed them onto the pillow beside her as I pulled the covers away from her body.

"Time's up, take your dough and get the hell out."

"What?" she squawked as she looked at the money. "I am not your whore, you son of a bitch."

"Fine, then leave the cash but get the hell out." I was loosing patience quickly and that was never a good thing. She needed to go now. Before He showed up.

I watched her huff her way out of the bed and put on her clothes like she was indignant or something. How much dignity could you have in a fucking leather dress as you left the bed of a man you'd known less than four hours? Dignity my ass.

"You're a fucking prick Sebastian Steele," she hissed as she blew by me and thankfully out the door.

Yeah, so the fuck what? You're just like all of them. All but one.

I fell onto my back on the bed and pressed my hands against my eyes. But it didn't work. He was coming. I could feel the air around me being sucked from the room as his voice neared.

"God damn it, not now," I screamed into the empty room.

I grabbed the ancient remote from the table by the bed and flipped on the television. Noise. That's what I needed. Anything to keep his voice out of my head. I flipped through the channels mindlessly. There was nothing but fucking infomercials for magic ab machines and overpriced miracle creams. I finally settled on VH1. Pussy music was better than fat asses trying to do sit-ups.

I stared at the screen blankly for a while. All cookie cutter videos. The music sucked and the singers all sounded the same. What the hell was happening to music? Where had all the emotion, or talent for that matter, gone. Disgusted, I picked up the remote again to change the channel but one word stopped me. Some no-name reporter was talking about EverClear.

The screen was filled with the chaotic scene of a press conference. Two big burly fuckers filed into the room, dressed in all black. Both wore shades and they stood behind a long table with several mics lined up behind a row of chairs. Security obviously, but these two looked like a white-washed satanic versions of the Men in Black. They stood with their backs to the wall directly behind the chairs and scanned the room before the one with the curly hair nodded to someone off camera.

The next second that back-stabbing mother fucker loped his way onto the screen. JP. Idiot looked every bit as ridiculous as the last time I'd seen him. Damn dread locks and that stupid smile on his face. He sat at the first of three chairs and started drumming his hands on the table.

All the reporters got really quiet and I heard the snap of the cameras taking the asshole's picture. He was lovin' that shit. What the fuck could he have called a press conference over? I cringed as his obnoxious red-neck voice filled the hotel room.

"So, I want to thank y'all for puttin' this together so quickly. There has been a lot of talk about EverClear in the last week or so and we figured it was time to lay it all out for you guys. We're gonna keep this short but we'll answer any questions that y'all have for us. But everyone in this room knows that I'm not the one y'all want to talk to."

The faceless reporters all laughed at his stupid joke. Yeah, no one wanted to talk about you asshole. There was only one reason for anyone to be interested in EverClear.

"Now y'all know that she's really shy," television JP continued, "so don't scream out at her all at once. All you'll get is me if you freak her out." He looked around the room and nodded to her somewhere off stage. "Ladies and gents, I'd like to introduce y'all to Bella Cullen and her husband, Edward Cullen."

WHAT THE FUCK!

My mind roared as Bella slinked her way onto the screen. Fuckin' a, she was God damned beautiful. She looked around the room with those big doe eyes before she sat in the chair beside JP. Right beside her was some prick I'd never seen. He'd walked her to her chair with his hand on her back and then sat down right beside her.

The reporters went ballistic. They all started shouting at the same time and she shrank back into the chair. JP held his hands up at them and they quieted down instantly. Bella cleared her throat and leaned forward into the mic.

"So by now, I guess you've all seen the video of Atlanta." Video? What video, I thought to myself. I'd need to find that tomorrow.

"Are you two married?" some random female voice shouted.

"Yes. We were married in Atlanta."

Son of a bitch. She was supposed to be mine, not his.

"Is Edward the man you've written about in your songs?" a low deep male voice asked.

"Yes," she answered and then cut her eyes to the guy beside her. He picked up her hand and kissed it.

"How did you two meet?"

"Bella and I were high school sweethearts," the guy answered. I stared hard at him. There was something not right about him. He was pasty white and too pretty. But his eyes were what had me transfixed. They were too bright and almost yellow. Like an animal's eyes.

Like a **creature's** eyes.

"Can you tell us about the performance that is on YouTube," a female voice with a British accent asked.

"Edward and I were apart for five years. He came to the first show in Atlanta, not knowing that I was part of EverClear. We had a lot to work through and talk about over the next couple of days. But what you saw on the internet was us coming together again. I never planned for it to play out in front of the audience, but…," her voice trailed off.

This was making me sick. Five fucking years and he swooped in over a weekend and married her? I threw the remote at the screen and it crashed through the glass with a satisfying crunch. I watched the sparks flow out of the flickering box and onto the nasty carpet below.

My head was pounding and the ringing in my ears grew to an intolerable level. I rocked myself back and forth, trying to lessen the noises inside my head.

"_It's your fault, boy. You lost her. You gave her to him."_

No, not now. Please not now. Not Him.

"_You didn't protect her. You didn't save her. You failed again, boy."_

I buried my head in the pillow as He screamed at me.

"_I told you boy, you got to watch yourself. Evil creatures out there. They took my Mary away from me. I watched as he marked her with his teeth. Lied to the nurses, told 'em he was givin' her fever therapy and that's why she screamed. But I knew. I watched as the doctor bit into her and I watched when the queer with the blond hair found them. He tore the doctor to shreds and then set him ablaze. And my Mary just screamed. No one would believe me. Told me it was all in my head. My Mary disappeared after three days. People said she'd run off with the doctor, but I knew better. She'd changed into one of them. One of the creatures, just like the doctor and the man with the long blond hair."_

"Crazy ass old man," I screamed into the stale air of the room. Ranted and raved all my damn life about the evil creatures. Every day for years, the pruned old mouth yelled the story about his Mary and how they took her. I'd always thought he was off his rocker. JP and I had spent years making fun of his senile delusional ass.

But everything changed the night I'd met Bella. I'd known the moment I stepped into the elevator who she was and had spent the better part of the night trying to get into her pants. I wanted her, just out of spite for JP, even before I'd realized just how damn hot she was. I wanted to take his muse from him and make him suffer for walking out on me. The night had been going well and I had a pretty good shot at her until our hands touched.

The cold of the scar on her hand had brushed the skin of my hand and in an instant my whole world had changed. The voice of Him came thundering into my head. I grabbed her wrist on pure instinct as his voice screamed at me.

"_The bite! She has a bite on her. Just like my Mary! They tried to burn her too! Stop her, don't let her get away."_

It was the first time I'd heard his voice since my Granddaddy had died four years earlier. It was the same gravely tone I'd listened to my whole miserable life. It was all around me and inside of my brain. I felt his words as he continued to holler at me. I was afraid of his voice. He'd told me countless times of the voices that spoke to him when he'd been in the hospitals, but I'd never understood until that moment that he had not been lying about or imagining a faceless voice.

It was the first time I'd heard him, but it was far from the last. By now, I heard him almost everyday. He told me what to do, who to watch out for, who was watching me and how to handle any situation that came up. He always had the answers I needed, even if he appeared at inopportune times.

I had no memory of that first night when His voice had appeared. I had no idea what had happened with Bella after I'd grabbed her wrist, but she had been difficult to deal with ever since. Forget fucking her, she'd made it damn near impossible to stand within ten feet of her. But He wouldn't let me stop trying. Every time I saw her, he raged at me to save her from his Mary's fate.

I grabbed the half empty bottle of Jack from the nightstand and turned it up. As the amber liquid burned its way down my throat, his voice began to fade slightly.

"_You saw his eyes. He's one of them. He's a creature, like the doctor. Men don't have yellow eyes. Animals do."_

"I know that," I growled at the voice. "What do you want from me? I can't get to her."

"_Try harder. You'll end up in Smith Grove, just like me, if you don't. You have to destroy him before he marks her again. He's tried once, you saw it. You have to destroy him."_

"I don't know how," I pled with Him as I took another long pull from the bottle.

"_She's the key. Use her to destroy him. Get rid of him and you make her safe."_

"Will you leave when she's safe?" I knew he wouldn't even as I asked him.

"_I am a part of you, boy. Your own flesh and blood. I'll never leave you. But if you fail, I'll destroy you."_

I threw the almost empty bottle across the room and into the mirror. I watched as the shards of glass rained down upon the dresser top. He'd been right all along. No one had believed him. Not his doctors at the institutions, no my worthless sack of shit father, no one. He'd tried to tell them all about the creatures and no one would listen. And he'd lost his Mary. He'd watched helplessly as she'd burned without flames and then disappeared into the night air.

He'd hurt me if I failed to save her. So I would have to try. Try to protect Bella from the creature that sat beside her. That had marked her.

It was his fault that the voice had come in the first place.

I pulled the joint from the drawer on the table beside the bed and lit it without thought. I pulled hard on it, savoring the heat that filled my lungs. The heat would bring peace from Him. At least for a little while. I closed my eyes as I lay back on the mattress and took another hit. Images swam before my eyelids as I felt my muscles begin to relax into sleep. Granddaddy on the porch talking to thin air, Bella staring at me as I grabbed her wrist in the restaurant. But one image stayed in the forefront of them all.

The man with the yellow eyes.

He was the key to quieting the voice.

Destroy him, and He wouldn't hurt me.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face as I visualized him screaming as flames lapped at his pale skin and yellow eyes.

**Chapter Notes: Are we all feeling rather traumatized after being inside his head? Have any of you started to see the connections here? I cannot wait to see your theories.**

**A couple of points: Please don't PM me telling me that this chapter was homophobic. If you've read ****any**** of the chapters with Chip in them, you know that is not what I think. This is the character's perception, nothing more.**

**Also, "Fever therapy" was a real course of treatment for mental illness in the 1920's. Malaria was injected into the body of someone suffering from delusions or hallucinations in order to "kill" the damaged brain cells. It was disregarded as a common practice in the 1930's after more patients died than were cured.**


	8. Chapter 8Sundaes & Transvestites

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

I have missed ya'll more than I could ever tell you. RL still sucks, but I am adjusting slowly but surely. I wish I had the words to tell all of you how much your comments and PMs meant to me, particularly when things were so bleak.

**Special thanks to Shannon, Tracie & Jess for the multiple pick me up emails. I love you guys. **

**A little lighthearted humor is called for after the Sebastian chapter. For everyone that thought Sebastian was as pitiful as he was warped, you're right. But don't let him fool you, there is a lot more to come from our resident odd ball.**

**Playlist:**

**Anything for You-Evanescence**

**Further Away-Evanescence**

**Time Warp-Rocky Horror Picture Show**

**Sweet Transvestite-Rocky Horror Picture Show**

**All the songs can be found on YouTube, so listen to them. Especially the last 2 if you're unfamiliar with the movie.**

**Last thing, EverClear has been nominated for a couple of awards on the Indie Twific Awards!!!! I put a link on my profile to the voting site or you can go to Indietwificawards dot com to vote. First round of voting is July 8****th**** through 12****th****. So, if you feel so inclined, check it out.**

**On with the show and lots of love to everyone for the support, kind words and kitty nose snuggles.**

Chapter 8

EPOV

"Edward, stop," Bella laughed as she pulled away from me. The small dressing room didn't offer much space for her to distance herself from me, not that she was trying very hard in the first place. I eyed her suggestively as she tried to disentangle my arms from around her waist.

"Baby, we still have fifteen minutes until the next set," I whined. She looked unreal, too good to be true, as she slowly backed herself up against the door that led to hallway outside. She leaned her head back against the wood, her eyes heavy with desire, and chuckled at me.

She was wearing the outfit.

God bless Chip, when we'd taken Marcus and him to the airport late the night before after the show, he'd handed me a garment bag just before he stepped into the secured area of the terminal. He winked at me and then leaned forward to kiss her cheek before he'd wrapped his arm around Marcus' shoulder and disappeared into the hallway that would lead him to their flight. I almost felt sorry for New York City as I thought of Alice and him on a whirl-wind shopping spree through the city. I had called her earlier in the day and told her to use my credit card for any purchase he wanted to make, regardless of whom it was for. It was the very least I could do for him after everything he'd done for Bella and me.

It was only after Bella had fallen asleep had I discovered what that blessed bag contained and how truly in his debt I was. It was the black leather and handcuff costume from the video. I'd asked him about it at sound check and he'd claimed to not know where it was after he'd laughed hysterically at me. I had been completely obsessed with seeing her in the sinful get up literally since the moment I'd realized what the bag contained.

She stood before me, her skin flushed from her exertion on stage, dripping sweat into her leather clad cleavage, and my mind conjured progressively naughtier fantasies, most of which involved the hand cuffs. I had been hard since the moment she had locked the two cuffs in place around her torso more than two hours ago. I crossed the room in two strides and placed my hands, palm down, on either side of her head.

"Emmett! Jasper! Help me!" she screamed as I licked a bead of sweat as it raced its way down her chest.

Seconds later, we were both knocked across the room as my brothers came barreling into the room. I'd realized a fraction of a second before hand what was about to happen and just barely managed to wrap my arms securely around her before we were hurtling through the air. My back hit the opposite wall with a thud and I felt her breath rush from her chest, her eyes wide with shock.

"Bella! What's wrong?" Jasper growled as he scanned the room. He was tensed into a half crouch as he searched the room for danger. Behind him, Emmett stood coiled to strike at the first glimpse of a threat. Both of their eyes darted to every corner of the room before they landed on the two of us, still motionless against the far wall.

"What the hell, Edward?" Emmett roared at us. Bella tucked her head into my chest and I felt her body shaking softly. I was momentarily concerned that she was hurt until I heard the faint chuckle escape her lips. She was trying her hardest not to laugh and failing miserably.

"Fuck, Bella. Don't do that. Haven't you ever heard of crying wolf?" Jasper panted as he straightened from his crouch. At his words, she lost her control and began laughing hysterically. She folded up in my arms until her feet were curled underneath her rear and she hung suspended in my grasp two feet off the ground. I smelled the salty tears as they poured down her cheeks while I stared in shock at the top of her head.

Her amusement at the situation was contagious. Jasper laughed deeply as her emotions flooded him, and he in turn projected his humor to Emmett and me. The four of us became louder and louder as we gave in to the overwhelming absurdity.

"You think that's funny, do ya little sister?" Emmett smirked as he reached out and pulled her away from me. He flipped her onto the couch to my right and began to tickle her mercilessly, offering me a spectacular view of her ass as she attempted to kick him away from her. The louder she shrieked, the more Jasper and I laughed. We were both doubled over clutching our sides when a loud bang pulled out attention back to the door that now hung precariously by a single hinge.

JP stood in the doorway, obviously delighting in the scene before him. Emmett didn't stop his assault until my wife, out of sheer desperation, threatened to urinate on him if he didn't stop.

"What are y'all smokin' in here," JP snorted as he plopped down into the chair in front of the battered vanity against the far wall. I swiftly stepped in front of Bella's body as she attempted to straighten herself, fully aware that from JP's vantage- point he would be able to see straight up her tiny leather skirt.

"Bella's trying to see if she can give us heart-attacks," Emmett offered as he grasped her hands and offered her his assistance in righting herself. "Don't ever do that again. We almost killed you two."

She snorted once before she kissed him on the cheek. She crossed to Jasper and repeated the affectionate gesture and offered them her thanks for their overzealous protection before she made her way to the vanity. She used her hip to push JP from the chair in front of the mirror and the sat down harshly. Her skin was a deep crimson from her laughter and the tears has streaked her eye make-up into trails that ran the length of her cheeks. Her appearance seemed to amuse her as she calmly began to repair the damage.

"Why in the hell did you scream anyway?" Jaz asked her as he watched JP pull the two inch metal bar that was lanced through his eyebrow back and forth. My brother's expression was a mix of disgust and fascination as he stared unabashedly at the strange behavior.

"Edward was being…" she trailed off, shooting me a coy smile in the mirror that Emmett did not miss.

"A horndog," he finished for her much less kindly than she had been attempting.

"Well hell, look at her. If I didn't think Eddie would turn me into kindling, I'd be all over her too," JP mused. I cocked my eyebrow at him but his identical returning expression was enough to make me lose my composure. I chuckled under my breath at his filterless honesty.

"Five minutes," called a voice from the hallway.

JP sneered at the voice as Bella disappeared into the restroom. In the last week she had all but forgotten to be embarrassed at her human moments. When she returned, she sat back down in the chair and pulled her boots toward her with a defeated sigh. She had removed them the moment that she'd stepped foot into the dressing room, complaining loudly about the size of the heel. She slid her long leg into the leather torture device and reached for the zipper. She looked me dead in the eye as she slowly pulled the clasp up. When she reached the top of the boot, she seductively slid her hands over her thigh as if she was smoothing the fabric.

"Bella! Stop it, you're gonna kill me darlin'. Have a little mercy on your brother," Jasper begged her as he felt the all -consuming lust that coursed through me as I watched her. I made my way to her before kneeling at her feet and grasping the other boot. I ran my hands up her calf and lifted her leg to place it in the shoe, placing a chaste kiss on the top of her knee. I pulled the zipper up, my eyes never leaving hers, as my fingertips lightly grazed the smooth skin of her leg.

Her hand reached out to cup my face lovingly. I leaned into her touch and closed my eyes. I was basking in the feel of her palm against my skin when the wretching noises broke me from my trance. I looked over her shoulder to see that all three men in the room were heaving their bodies in a comical imitation of regurgitation.

"Y'all are disgusting, "JP called over his shoulder as he left the small room, Emmett and Jasper right behind him. I extended my hand to her as I rose to my feet and we exited the dressing, her slightly ahead of me so that I could shamelessly ogle her butt as it swayed down the hallway.

The five of us made our way down the dark corridor toward the stage. The roar of the crowd swelled with each passing step. The first set had gone extremely well. The press conference yesterday had indeed reduced the amount of reporters that had plagued the band for over a week. The relief was evident in the performance of every member of the band, but Bella seemed almost invigorated with the reduced stress. She had sung better tonight than I'd ever heard her and her energy seemed boundless.

Chip's brief departure had added to the playfulness of the band as well. While they all loved the man dearly, there was a very real sense of a bunch of overgrown teenagers being left at home while their parents went out of town with his absence. The combination of relief and lack of supervision seemed to be intoxicating to them.

When we reached the edge of the still dark stage, the crowd chanting the band's name over and over, she turned to me and pressed her body up against me tightly. She stretched her neck forward and I leaned in to meet her lips. I'd expected a soft quick kiss, but she's surprised me by grasping the back of my head and shoving her tongue into my mouth hungrily. I moaned into the kiss and was raising my arms to wrap them around her, when I felt two arms wrap around my own body. Emmett pulled me forcefully away from Bella, who was locked in a similar position in Jasper's arms, a stunned look on her face.

"I'm going to turn the hose on you two if you don't stop. We will let you guys molest each other after the show," Jasper teased as he turned and placed her on the steps that led to the stage.

"I love you, " she called to me as she walked onto the stage.

"Love you too, baby."

The crowd erupted as they resumed their positions on the stage and the lights flooded the room. I stood side by side with my brothers and watched as Bella launched into "Sweet Sacrifice". I was brimming with pride as I took in her performance and I knew that I was grinning like a love-struck fool.

"Edward, I didn't think I'd ever see the day that you were so happy. Or horny. I had forgotten that underneath your brooding and pouting that you actually are a seventeen year old."

I looked at Emmett and smiled. I had always been closer to him than Jasper, but I was taken aback by the sincerity of his words. Although he rarely censored anything he said, there was a definite joy to his thoughts as he spoke. I nudged his massive shoulder in silent thanks as I looked at him. His appearance caught me slightly off guard. Emmett needed to hunt. His eyes were dark and the shadows beneath his lids were a dark purple. I swiveled my head and realized that Jasper looked almost identical.

In my euphoria of the last several days, hunting had not once entered my mind. But I knew that I probably looked as thirsty as the two of them.

"Em, why don't you hunt tonight and tomorrow. You can meet the bus in Alabama and then Jaz and I will go. We'll all meet back up in Houston."

He rubbed the back of his neck in a very human manner before he agreed. As the show progressed, we worked out exactly where and when we would meet. I was not thrilled with the prospect of leaving Bella, but I did not want my thirst to overpower me when I was near her either. I was more at ease knowing that at least one of us would be with her at all times. Her voice from the stage pulled my attention away from our discussion.

"Whose heard the new album?" she called to the crowd. They roared their answer at her and she positively beamed with pleasure at their response. "So, we were going to do a couple of slower songs from "Open Door", but I'm not much in the mood for slow and sad, how about you guys?"

I looked to JP for an explanation. Bella was the consummate professional on stage and there had been no discussion of changing the set list that I was aware of. He caught my gaze, grinned and just shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. She turned her back to the crowd and asked the band to play "Anything for You" followed by "Further Away". I shamefully realized I was unfamiliar with either song. I was married to the composer and lead singer, but I hadn't been willing to pull myself away from her long enough to listen to the complete CD.

JP threw his head back and laughed before nodding to her. He looked over his right shoulder at me and winked. He then nodded his head to an area of the stage that would offer a better view of the show while still keeping me out of sight of the crowd.

"You're gonna want to see this, dude," he called over his shoulder.

I moved to the side of the stage with Emmett and Jasper right behind me. I was burning with anticipation as the opening bars of the song began. It had a different rhythm to it than most of her songs. It was blusier and had a slight techno edge, but still had the definitive EverClear sound to it.

**I'd give anything to give**

**Me to you**

**Can you forget the world**

**That you thought you knew**

She stood in the middle of the stage, her long leg bouncing with the beat of the drums as she sung. Her voice was sultry as she continued into the chorus of the song. I looked around the stage and noticed that JP and Dimitri were watching her more than the crowd. It occurred to me that they had not rehearsed this song on stage and that they were watching her for cues about movement around the stage. It was a silent communication between them, very similar to the way they had written the newest song just two days ago. They were so in tune with each other that they choreographed their performance with no effort whatsoever.

I saw from the corner of my eyes that Emmett was all out dancing to the song and that I had begun to rock my own body in time with the pounding beat. I watched mesmerized as she moved toward JP's side of the stage and began the second verse. She was facing him, but looking over his shoulder at me when the lyrics she sang crashed over me like a tidal wave.

**There's only you**

**And every day I need more**

My body instantly responded to the suggestive tone of her voice, the sultry lyrics and the smoldering brown eyes that had delivered them. I wasn't aware of how widely I was grinning until Jasper elbowed me and shook his head.

"Hopeless. Utterly hopeless," he teased. I grinned ridiculously at him as I read his thoughts. He was thoroughly enjoying both the show and my reaction. But there was a question lurking at the back of his mind as we listened to the desperate lyrics of the song. I winced as I thought about the question in his head and the movement caught his attention. He looked at me seriously when he realized what I had reacted to. "Does it bother you that all the songs are about you? Isn't it strange for you to listen to?"

"It doesn't bother me, it kills me. I hate knowing that I caused her enough pain to make a career out of music that is all about loss and sorrow and hurt," I answered honestly. I looked onto the stage where she was working the crowd into a frenzy with her voice and sighed. She had made it so easy in the last two weeks to forget all the hurt that we'd both endured. The stark reminder, however unintentional on Jasper's part, sent a shiver through me.

But my angel, once again, saved me. The torturous creature that stood twenty feet away from me while commanding the audience chose that moment to smile at me, effectively pulling me from the morose thoughts that had threatened to overtake me just moments ago. They brought the song to a close to thunderous applause. Bella, JP and Dimitri stood in the very center of the stage and took in the reaction of the crowd. They all seemed to be delighted with the reaction from the sea of faces below them.

"All right, let's see if you like this one," Bella called out. "We wrote it about trying to make it in the music business, and…well, I guess you can figure out what we think of the business part of it,"

Jane's piano rang out over the club for a couple of bars and then a very hard driving beat picked up. Bella moved her entire upper body in time with the music and the effect was staggering. When she began to sing, the crowd was almost hypnotized. Every eye in the room was fixed meaningfully on the siren in front of them. The lyrics were harsh and condemning, but the song itself was entrancing. There was anger laced into every word she sang, but her movements, particularly in the tempting costume, overshadowed the ire.

JP and Dimitri were once again watching her for cues as to the movements around the stage, although they seemed to be more relaxed in their efforts with this song. They both thrashed their heads around each time she sang the chorus. As she approached the bridge of the song, the lights on the stage went dark and a single spot light shone on Jane at her keyboards. When the lights came back up, Bella was standing atop the piano in the center of the stage with JP and Dimitri on the floor in front of her. The tempo of the song sped up significantly and the three of them whipped their heads around in circles with each note. They were perfectly synchronized, even when they flipped their heads back for her to sing the bridge.

Don't leave me here

**By myself**

I can't breath

"She is so fucking awesome, bro," Emmett said in between singing lines of the song. I looked at him with at stunned expression on my face. How the hell did he know the song? He shrugged his massive shoulders and held his hands up as he answered my unspoken question. "I listen to the new album to drown out the sounds of you two going at it."

The rest of the show progressed as usual with me joining them for the last three songs of the night. The crowd seemed to be exploding out of the small club as the lights finally came down. The energy in the room was overwhelming. The crowd's reaction to the new songs had been phenomenal and the band had fed off of the electricity. Even with my heightened senses and dexterity, I had found it almost difficult to keep up the pace and ferocity of the show. And Bella's ridiculously erotic appearance had made the task even more impossible. I'd felt almost high from the energy of the performance as we'd exited the stage.

The jubilation of the show was still present six hours, one dismantled stage and one extremely loud romp in the dressing room that resulted in the destruction of the hand-cuff clasps of her outfit, and we were once again on the bus. This trip would be much longer than our previous ones. It would take three to four days for the bus and the semi full of equipment to make the treck from Florida to Texas for the next round of shows. Emmett had left his bags on the bus with us and headed out for a two-day hunt. We would meet up with him in Louisiana and then Jasper and I would go. He had hugged Bella and me fiercely before leaving, his jovial thoughts marred with an edge of apprehension. It had been Bella that had finally soothed him enough to leave. As I watched her reassure him that she would be safe while he was away, I realized that there truly was something healing about her presence for every member of the Cullen family.

I was sitting atop the fold out dining table with Dimitri's acoustic guitar on my knee. He sat across from me in the lower seat slowly strumming chords. I had asked him several days ago if he could teach me to play and he had seemed thrilled to share what he knew with me. I had, so far, picked up everything he'd shown me with ease and I found that I loved to play the guitar almost as much as I did the piano.

"That's it Ed, stretch your fingers," Dimitri encouraged me as I attempted to mimic his finger movements. A loud throaty laugh from behind us broke our concentration and we both turned to see what the commotion was. Bella and JP had pulled out the seat to make a mattress once again and they were both stretched out across it watching a movie. Jane was perched; her legs crossed Indian style, on the back of the cushion that was mounted to the wall. The oddest sight was that Jasper was sitting behind Bella, his legs together and bent at the knees, making a recliner for her. Her back was against his shins and her head rested on his kneecaps. They looked every bit the siblings that they had always longed to be to each other and I stared in amazement at the relaxed scene before me.

Bella had apparently resigned herself to dining JP style. On the menu were ice cream sundaes. But a bowl of the gooey concoction would have been much too easy for JP. Instead, they had the carton of ice cream open and each dug in with overly long handled spoons. The bottles of toppings were scattered around them. With each mouth full, they would then squeeze chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce directly into their mouths. Spoonfuls of cherries and wet nuts were also being intermittenly added to the bites they took. Jasper held a bottle of whipped cream that he would squirt directly into the open lips of the two of them at their urging. The entire scene would have been utterly disgusting if it hadn't been so fucking funny to watch.

They were all engrossed in a movie that I vaguely recognized as a cult classic that Emmett had drug us to a decade earlier. At random moments, one of the mattress' occupants would yell out strange phrases at the giant flat screen that was mounted on the far side of the bus and they would all laugh hysterically. Bella's cheeks were flushed the most gorgeous shade of red as she laughed. She leaned her head all the way back over Jaz's knees and he promptly filled her open mouth with the ivory cream, smiling like a fool all the while.

As I watched the juvenile display unfold with humor, I felt the phone in my pocket buzz. I flipped it open to see a new text from Alice awaiting me.

Find a video camera quickly. This will go down in Cullen history. Luv ya. A

I had learned long ago to listen to Alice's requests, even when the made little sense to me at the time. It was in this frame of mind that I pulled the hand held video recorder from the small bag on the counter and pressed play. I set the now operative camera on the counter at an angle that caught the entire interior of the bus and returned my attention to the maniacs on the mattress.

"You're gonna get a kick out of this, if this goes as usual," Dimitri chuckled as he too watched the group on the mattress. He held his hand out to Bella, who very uncharacteristically tossed the bottle of caramel to directly into his open palm. He poured a large amount into his mouth as JP sprang from the mattress and crouched on the edge of the bed, an evil look on his face.

"Show us your mother Riff Raff!" Bella and Jaz yelled at him, identical grins on their faces. I realized what movie they were watching at the same moment that JP sprang from his perch and the distinctive guitar filled the air.

Rocky Horror.

Oh fuck, this was going to be interesting.

"**It's astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll**," JP sang in perfect time with the character on the screen. His long dread locks were once again pulled into a bundle on the very top of his head and they bobbed insanely as he sang the song. His every movement, stance and facial expressions were identical to the bizarre character on the screen.

I couldn't help but laugh when Bella rose to her knees and joined in the song in perfect time with the "maid's" verse of the song. The look on Jasper's face would have suggested that Christmas had come early and even Jane, generally the most distant of the group, was alight with excitement as JP began to whirl around the room in the exact manner as the movie's zombie-ish butler.

I didn't even have a word for the humor that coursed through the bus when Bella and Jane both sprung to their feet on the mattress and began not only singing but also dancing the Time Warp along with JP. It was hands down the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my hundred plus years. All of them were moving their bodies in the most overly exaggerated movements, thrashing their hips and jumping around like they'd been tasered. Jasper was on his side clutching his ribs laughing and if it had been possible, tears would have been streaming down his face.

But nothing prepared me for the next verse of the song. Bella: my sweet shy unassuming Bella began to sing Magneta's lines. She flitted around the bus copying the movements on the screen to perfection. She gyrated and posed her way all over the inside of the bus until she was standing on the table that I was sitting on. Her hip bones were eye level with me, but before I could allow my thoughts to run down a more perverse road, Jane shocked the shit out of all of us.

Jane stood no taller than Alice and was by far the most subdued of the EverClear members. She was very much a part of the band but always seemed to be on the fringe of their personal interactions. Until now. She was absolutely unrestrained as she sang the lines of the third character of the song. Bella screeched her laughter out as we all watched Jane mimic the song, complete with the world's most uncoordinated tap dance.

I had never laughed so hard in my life. I was immensely grateful that my body didn't feel pain, because had such a sensation been possible, I was positive that my ribs would have been broken from the force of the laughter. As the last chorus of the song began, Bella stood 3 inches from me and danced. I was still sitting cross-legged on the table, so her ass was directly in my face. I was quite sure she was aware of this by the look on her face as she smirked down at me. But when the song called for "pelvic thrusts" my demure wife spun around, grabbed a hand full of my hair and thrust her hips directly into my face.

Dimitri actually fell out of his seat laughing at her display and I could feel Jasper's emotions slip from his control as he too watched her X-rated display. When the song closed and the participants "melted" into the floor, Bella fell into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, partially to keep from dropping her and partially to join her in her exuberance. Tears poured from her eyes and her smile could have lit up a city block. JP was rolling on the floor and snorting like some kind of farm animal, trying desperately to catch his breath.

We were all so caught up in our laughter, than none of us realized what was happening just feet away. The movie continued to play in the background of the raucous laughter. I was clutching my wife tightly to my chest, still laughing uncontrollably when she screamed. My body instantly tightened at the sound and I scrambled to find the source of her fear. I followed her gaze across the small-enclosed space to the sight that had elicited her yell.

I was, for the first time in my entire existence, completely and utterly speechless.

Jasper stood on the mattress with a blanket wrapped around him like a cape. The other occupants of the bus were still scattered around the floor from their previous performance. The look on Jaz's face was foreign. I'd never seen such an arrogant condescending sneer on his face and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell was going on with him.

That was, until I noticed the movie still playing in the background.

Oh, fucking hell.

At the same moment that the realization hit me, Jasper opened his mouth to lip sync the lyrics of the song that filled the air. He was singing…he was…oh fuck, he was singing Frankenfurter's song. But not just singing it, he was fully reenacting the song. His hips swayed, he pouted his lips and even copied the strip tease to perfection.

My serious, strategic, stoic brother was very energetically, and quite convincingly, performing as a six foot three drag queen.

I had never laughed so loudly or so forcefully. I felt almost out of control as I watched him. I'd known Jasper for more than half a century and never had I even imagined that he was capable of such a display. Bella was convulsing with laughter against my chest, mesmerized by the display.

I couldn't help myself. The surreal scene was too hilarious and Jasper's humor in the situation was flooding the small space. I pulled Bella and myself to our feet and approached Jasper, who was still in full character.

"**I'm glad we caught you at home. Could we use your phone? We're both in a bit of a hurry. We'll just say where we are, then go back to the car. We don't want to be any worry,**" I mouthed to Jaz.

The momentary shock on his face gave way to elation as I joined him in his display. Bella fell to her knees doubled over in laughter and crawled over to JP, who had apparently lost the ability to speak coherently while he watched the impromptu stage show. The two of them gasped and sputtered in hysterics.

Jasper sang the entire song, never missing a lyric or sneer or gyration. I was sprawled out on the mattress taking in the entire scene. As he finished, Jasper sank to his knees in front of Bella and the two of them hugged fiercely as they howled in unison. I was struck with the absolute joy that surrounded me from all sides. My family was happier and more carefree than they'd ever been. I didn't have an adequate word for the all-consuming joy that surrounded and permeated my every thought and breath.

It was the beautiful creature in the floor three feet away from me. She was the reason for all of it. Cackling like a crow, covered in the melted ice cream that had fallen from the mattress when JP had kicked off the inane production and gasping for breath, she was magnificent. As if her silent mind heard my thoughts, she turned to me, still in Jasper's embrace and mouthed "I love you" with a glorious smile. The phone in my pocket vibrated again and I pulled it out. It was Alice again.

You have to email me a copy of that video. Enjoy the moment big brother, you guys have earned it. We love you and we'll see you in a couple of days. A & C

**Yeah, we had. ****For once, I would take her advice without question and just bask in the happiness that surrounded me. **

**Chapter Notes: Show me some love, its been a long time since I had something to purr about. **


	9. Chapter 9Separation

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**Holy crap, you guys are so awesome. Thank you so very freakin' much for the open arms and hearts. You guys truly humble me with your support. **

**Ok, so last chap was some silly fluff, but know we return to the true story line.**

**Computer issues aside, I hope to post twice a week from here on out. Look for me on Tuesdays and Sundays.**

**Shameless plug here: Voting for the first round of The Indie Twific Awards begins tomorrow. EverClear could use your help. If all the groupies come out of the woodwork, we could make it to the second round. Go to theindietwificawards dot com to vote the 8****th**** through the 12****th****.**

**Playlist:**

**Breathe No More-Evanescence**

**What Have You Done- Within Temptation**

Chapter 9- Separation

BPOV

"Damn it, Bella," JP's muffled voice yelled from the other side of the thin door to the bathroom. "You're gonna use all the hot water. Get you ass our or I'm coming in with you."

I heard Emmett's booming laughter as he listened to JP's threat. It was silly and childish that I was hiding in the bathroom to begin with, I knew. But I couldn't help it. I had tried so desperately to hide my emotions, but they would not be denied. I had found myself in an almost near constant state of panic since the moment we had pulled into the truck stop to meet Emmett two days ago and it was taking its toll on me.

The moment I'd seen Em standing outside the run down building, my chest had seized. My breathing had become shallow and I'd flushed in sheer terror. He had to leave. He was leaving me. I knew it was only for a couple of days, that it was necessary, but I couldn't shake the immense feeling of loss that overwhelmed me. We had not been apart for any amount of time since Atlanta and I didn't know how to handle the old feelings of abandonment that surged in my heart at the impending separation.

I'd tried to hide it from him, but he'd seen right through it. He'd held me close to his chest, his arms wrapped so tightly around me that it was almost painful, and whispered words of comfort in my ear. But the moment he stepped away from me, I'd dissolved into tears. I watched his perfect form disappear into the tree line behind the concrete building and I physically felt the weight of his absence settle into my heart, where it had resided for every second of the last two days.

The last of the current round of tears were still falling as I stepped from the shower and wrapped the towel around myself. I was reaching for another towel to dry my hair with when the door burst open. JP exploded into the small room, looking both annoyed and entertained at the same time. It took me a moment to realize that he was also butt-naked.

"Um, JP…what are you…fucking hell, when did you pierce your dick?"

The shock of his bizarre appearance was driven from my head at the sight of his newest adornment. We'd seen each other naked before, it was unavoidable in such close confines as the tour bus, but I'd never noticed that particular piece of jewelry. And quite honestly, I could have lived a long and happy life without ever having known that much about him. I tried desperately not to look at him, but the silver loop that protruded unnaturally from his…from him, would not be ignored. He caught me as I tried to hide my gaze into the towel clutched at my chest. Rather than look shy or embarrassed, JP smirked down at himself and then back at me.

"You like? Hurt like a mother fucker, but the ladies seem to really appreciate the…"

"Stop! That is so far into TMI, it's almost painful. You do know Edward is going to kill you, right?"

"Why? I'm naked, not you. I didn't see his precious wife's tatas, not that I wasn't trying."

Emmett's massive form filled the doorway of the bathroom as wholly as his laughter filled the small space inside. He had not only heard the conversation, but also now stood witness to the ridiculous exchange. The look on his face was incredulous delight.

"She's right. Eddie's going to shit himself if he pulls this out of your head," Em laughed. "Come here Peanut, let's leave the freak to his shower. I've officially seen more of his scrawny ass than I ever wanted."

I grabbed the hairbrush off the counter and gingerly made my way out of the tiny room, taking great pains not to touch any part of JP or his piercing. As I pulled the door shut, his throaty laughter echoed off the tile walls.

Emmett had plopped his enormous frame down onto the mattress that still smelled of chocolate sauce and was looking at me with a guarded expression.

"Need a fix?" he asked knowingly, apparently smelling the salty tears that still streaked my skin.

Without a word, I curled myself around his chest and his arm wrapped around my shoulder. This had become something of routine over the last forty-eight hours. The first night without Edward beside me as I slept, the nightmares had returned in full force. Emmett had scooped my thrashing screaming form up and tucked me up against his body to soothe my distress. The panic that had swallowed me was familiar and foreign at the same time. But the cool hardness of Emmett's body was similar enough to stir the contented feelings that Edward's body always did.

"Stupid human, huh?" I looked up at my brother with embarrassment written all over my face. He chuckled lightly and kissed the top of my head so gently that I almost didn't feel it.

"Not at all Peanut. I suspect that Jasper's had to work overtime the last two days to keep Edward calm. After everything that you two have been through, it's to be expected that a little separation anxiety would show itself. But he will be back and you two will be fondling each other in no time."

"When did I become 'Peanut'?"

"Two nights ago, when I realized just how fucking tiny you are. Seriously, you have to eat more now that you're a Cullen. We play hard, you know. How am I going to get you into our baseball games when you weigh like ten pounds?"

I snorted into his tee shirt. As if Edward would ever let me join them in any sort of physical activity before he'd changed me.

"Come on, we are running a little late, so we're going straight to sound check, then we'll go to the hotel. Edward will be there by the time you guys finish and I'll go pick up the others from the airport while you two get…reacquainted."

I could feel the blush creep up my cheeks, but honestly didn't care. Edward would be home today, Chip was coming back and Alice and Rosalie would be with him. Most of the people I loved most in the world would be reassembled in just a few short hours. I just needed to calm down and get control of myself until then.

I was still attempting to keep myself in check three hours later as we struggled through sound check. My out-of-control emotions were making things more difficult than they should have been for a show that we'd performed hundreds of times. Granted, the crowd's response to "Anything for You" and "Further Away" had lead us to make the decision to put them into the line up permanently and their addition did alter the pace of the show. But I was finding it harder and harder to sing some of the more morose songs from "Open Door". As cathartic as the songs had been in their conception, the feelings that they evoked were now more uncomfortable than familiar. And if Miami was any indication, the crowds preferred the speed and momentum that they provided for the finale of the show.

JP and Edward had also convinced me to put "Breathe No More" into the line up every night. I had been reluctant. It seemed so incredibly personal to share every night. As steeped in experience and pain as all the songs were, "Breathe" was somehow more. It was the exclusive property of the love that Edward and I shared and it had felt wrong to exploit that. But my husband's silken voice had calmly explained that of every song we had, that was his favorite and that he wanted to hear it as often as possible. Never being able to deny him anything, I had acquiesced.

The crew was still busy setting up the enormous walkways as I played "Breathe" for the second time. Anticipation had begun to creep into my system and I was finding it hard to keep the tempo of the song steady. I had, on the second attempt, finally settled into the appropriate rhythm and was singing the hell out of it. I looked out over the top of the piano to see Em sitting at the sound board beside Boz, the two of them talking animatedly about God only knew what. JP and Dimitri were both quietly tuning their guitars on either side of me. With one glaring exception, things were right in the world. It was okay. My missing half would be home shortly.

In this frame of mind, I closed my eyes and began the song for the third time. I could feel the hard texture of the keys beneath my fingers and it was peaceful. The piano, always a source of serenity, was working its magic on my agitated state. I sang with all the chaotic emotions that had permeated me for the last two days, and it felt…right. It was perfect: the tempo, the pace, the cadence. I could feel the crackling emotions in the air on the stage and I knew that I had hit my stride.

As I began the second verse of the song, there was a discernable shift it the atmosphere on the stage. I felt it, I knew it but I did not stop playing. I was too lost in the song to stop. Visions of Edward danced in my head as I sang and my heart longed for that connection. I played harder and sang with more force. Even with the charge in the air, I lost myself in his smile and his touch that replayed in my head over and over.

As the song came to a close, I poured everything I had into it. My body seemed to know that he was coming closer with every note. As the final note hung in the air, I kept my eyes closed tightly and I realized that tears were, once again, sliding silently down my cheeks. I took a deep calming breath and exhaled slowly.

"Aw, did you miss me that much?" a slow deep voice drawled from very close behind me.

I froze. The air stopped in my chest and a cold shiver ran down my back. I saw, from the corner of my eye, Emmett barreling toward the stage at a just barely human speed. I very slowly spun on the hard bench beneath me toward the voice. I looked into the cold steely eyes that were framed by the elbow length brown hair. Over his shoulder, JP was tensed and his normally jovial face was set like stone into a mask of fury.

"Sebastian. I didn't know you guys were coming in today. And no, I didn't miss you at all," I spoke as calmly and collectedly as possible. Emmett stepped onto the stage and immediately stood directly behind me. I looked up into the furious face of my vampire brother, who was quite evidently displeased with the proximity of Sebastian to me.

"Still a fucking bitch I see. Well, at least some things never change," he sneered.

I felt, as well as heard Emmett's growl behind me. I looked up into his face and touched his arm in what I hoped was a calming gesture.

"Emmett, I'd like you to meet Sebastian Steele." I turned to look at Sebastian as I continued the introduction. For some reason, it seemed important to watch his reaction. "Sebastian, I'd like you to meet Emmett Cullen, my brother- in- law and new head of security."

The only parts of his face that showed any reaction were his eyes. They narrowed slightly and I could feel the anger that radiated in my direction.

"Brother- in- law? That's right, you got married." He hissed the last word. "You've made quite the little public performance of your doomed romance, haven't you my dear. Convenient timing. New album, the long lost love of you life all at the same time. So fucking perfect."

I closed my eyes tightly to quelch the anger that coursed through me at his insinuations. The last thing I needed to do was give him more fuel for the fire he continually stoked.

"Fuck off, Sebastian," JP yelled from behind him. He was stalking across the stage, his hands clenched into fist.

"Hey there, **bro**," Sebastian taunted as he turned to face JP. Neither man moved any closer to the other, but there was a definite feel of two predators sizing each other up. I felt Emmett's arm slide delicately around my waist, ready to pull me away from the scene should the testosterone filled stand off turn physical.

"Enough!" I shouted at the two of them. Both men looked in my direction, JP with a hint of remorse, Sebastian with absolute disdain. "Why are you here?" I noticed that the other three men from EMD were standing in the side area of stage watching the exchange with interest.

"We haven't played together in a long time. We need to rehearse. And since you fucking refuse to speak to me away from the stage, I figured we'd just show up and crash you little party." He looked around the stage in a very exaggerated manner before facing me once again,"So, when do I get to meet hubby?" again sneering the last word.

Emmett laughed. Loudly.

"Little boy, I don't think you should be so eager for that introduction. Let's just say, you don't have a fan in Edward."

"Oh, my poor ego is shattered. What is it with the pussy names? Did your parents know as infants that their sons would grow up to be pansies?"

"Sebastian, stop it! You want to rehearse, fine. But shut the fuck up. We're already set up, so let's do 'What Have You Done' first then you guys can use our equipment to play 'Survive' and 'I'm Not Afraid'.

I turned to Emmett, who looked ready to remove Sebastian's head from his body. I gently placed my hand on his chest as he brought both arms around my shoulders.

"He's just being a prick, Em. Don't react. He feeds off of it."

"Yeah, well, I feed off of pricks like him. Literally."

His words hung in the still air for just a moment, before we both smiled widely. The unintentional meaning of his statement was the perfect tension breaker. He hugged me tightly as we laughed but when we pulled apart, he was very serious.

"He's going to be extremely pissed that he wasn't here, you know."

"Yeah, probably. But it was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, I had one of my body guards with me."

"I'll be no more than ten feet away from you, Peanut. Don't let him get to you."

"I won't," I said as I kissed his cheek.

I watched as Emmett walked toward the front row of seats, his phone already in his hand. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know whom he was calling and exactly what the conversation would be about.

I slowly took my spot at the top of the left side tower as Sebastian mirrored my movements on the right. As Dimitri began the guitar line that would usher the song in, I tensed. We didn't need to perform this song. He knew it as well as I did. He was baiting me, and by extension JP. This was his game. He played it every time we came into contact with him.

As his voice began the song, I was momentarily lost in its beauty. He really was talented. His voice was strong and clear and carried all the emotions of the song. He was an insatiable performer with a presence that could not be denied. Under different circumstances, he would have been a joy to perform with. His raw power always pushed me to my limits and the combination of our two voices really was spectacular.

I joined the song and we faced each other on our respective towers. His expression was sorrowful as we screamed at each other. Had I not know better, I would have been ashamed of my anger at him.

I, I've been waiting for someone like you

**But now you are slipping away**

**Why, why does fate make us suffer**

**There's a curse between us**

Between me and you

Our combined voices soared over the small room. The guys were playing the crap out of the song, using the electricity of the scene to heighten their chords. We began to make our way around the room singing the second verse and I noticed Emmett shifting in his seat to watch my every move. He was still on the phone, but his eyes never left me. I winked at him as I passed, but I got no returning smile.

I focused on Sebastian again as we moved toward the center tower. If he was going to pull any of his shit, he would do it here. I had lost count of the number of times he had crossed the line while we sang the chorus of the song the second time around. We stood less than a foot apart and wailed the lyrics into the tension filled air. I was acutely aware that every eye in the building was on the two of us as we sang. But thankfully, he made no move to touch me.

I ran down the center walkway back toward the stage with him hot on my heels to sing the bridge and finish the song. We sounded very good and I could hear the guys as we neared the end of the song. The song and our staging were going better than I had expected.

We were on the second line of the last round of the chorus when he grabbed my hand. In the blink of an eye, he pulled my body flush against him, my right wrist gripped tightly in his fist. I looked into his wild eyes, which were fixed, on my right hand. Neither of us continued to sing, we just stared. In the back of my mind, I heard the guitars come to a screeching halt and the drums fade out as Felix stopped playing.

"Again. He tried again," Sebastian growled in a demonic tone of voice I'd never heard.

I was dumb struck as I realized what he was staring at. The new, still raised and pink mouth shaped scar on my hand. His breath was ragged and staggering.

"What are…Sebastian, you're hurting me," I cried as his grip tightened further, but he either didn't hear me or ignored me.

"He's going to burn you too," he whispered as he locked his fingers around my wrist. His eyes pierced into my flesh as he examined the mark on my hand.

Realization of his words crashed over me as I felt a very large pair of hands wrench me away from him. It was in the same second that a sharp pain shot up into my shoulder. I screamed as I tucked my hand into my chest. I could feel the air whirling by me at a dizzying speed as Emmett whisked me away from the surreal scene.

As we raced away from the small club, I could hear Sebastian's incoherent yelling growing dimmer and dimmer. Tears raced down my checks and a single word echoed over and over in my head.

Edward.

**Chapter Notes: So, did we like the return of Sebastian? Let me hear it guys.**


	10. Chapter 10Revenge

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**You guys rock my world so freakin' hard!! Thank you for all the support and love you've sent my way over the last several weeks. It sounds overly dramatic, but with everything going on in RL and the changes that have been thrown at me, you guys have given me the drive to keep pushing.**

**Still having massive desktop problems. My hard drive crashed and it looks like most of the info inside was lost. That is also why I haven't had a chance to respond to your reviews. Please know that I read and treasure each one. I can't connect to "personal" or "entertainment" sites from the new job (goes back to the massive RL changes) and with the tech problems…well, you see my dilemma. I have actually uploaded the last two chaps from an ancient laptop via my Treo! But responding to reviews is somewhat more difficult. Please don't let that stop you. I squeal like a little girl every time my phone beeps that I have a new email from you guys.**

**Don't forget, voting ends today for The Indie Twific Awards. If you haven't had a chance to vote, please take a few minutes. First round is over tonight and I would love to move on into the second round of voting. We've picked up a lot of new readers as a direct result of the contest and I'd love to see how many more we could lure into the world of EverClear groupiedom. The web address is theindietwificawards (dot) com. EverClear is up for Best Story Inspired by Music-Completed and Most Romantic Moment- Completed.**

**See ya at the bottom.**

Chapter 9- Revenge

EPOV

"Edward, are you sure you want to show this to her?" Jasper asked in an amused tone of voice.

"No, not really. But I promised her the night we got married that I would let her see me hunt and this is the only way I can think of to do it without her being near me." I shivered at the idea of Bella being anywhere in close proximity to me when I hunted. The concept was too terrifying to even consider.

"You know its not going to deter her. If anything, she's liable to get turned on watching it," he snickered.

"God, I hadn't even thought about that. You're probably right," I chuckled. My wife had never shied away from my unnatural nature. And recently, she seemed to revel in it. The new scar on her hand was testament to just how little she feared her supernatural husband.

I looked down at the small backpack that was in my hand. The digital video camera from the tour bus was nestled into the bottom. I'd asked Jasper to film me while we hunted. When the subject of Bella becoming immortal had come up, I'd told her that I thought she needed to see me hunt before she made her decision. I still thought that a part of her mind held the romanticized version of vampires as the reality. Bram Stoker and Anne Rice were not the reality of what she would face if she chose to become one of us. It was immensely important that she understand the predatory bestial side of our nature before she took the final and irreversible step into our world. The idea had come to me as we replayed the film of "FrankenJasper". It was the only safe way I could think of to expose her to the brutal act of hunting and I hoped that she would be able to get the full impact of the horrific content that the memory card held.

The smells of Houston were growing stronger and stronger. We couldn't be more than half an hour away from the city and my anticipation was growing with each step I took. I had been a nightmare to hunt with on this trip. According to Jasper, my emotions had run the gamut from abject fear to sheer rage to almost hopeless longing over the last day and a half. He had commented more than once that if I was going to be so difficult when I was away from Bella that he would hunt with Emmett. After the first kill, I'd tried to convince him to go, even though I was far from sated. Thankfully, he had reminded me that not quenching my thirst while I had the chance would do nothing but make me have to leave again.

And with what was quickly approaching in Houston, leaving her for any amount of time was simply out of the question.

"Ed, I got a text from Jenks. He sent a packet of information on our boy to the hotel. It will be waiting for us when we get there."

"I thought I was the mind-reader. I was just thinking about the prick."

"Yeah, I figured. Your anger was building with each step you took. There aren't many people that could have triggered…"

The ringing of my cell phone interrupted him. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the display window as I flipped it open.

"Em, what's up?"

"Where are you? How far out are you guys?"

The tone of his voice made every hair on my body stand up. This was not my brother the prankster on the line. This was the guardian.

"Why? What going on?"

Before he could respond, I heard the music in the background. The shrieking guitar followed by the booming voices of the guys from the band as they ushered in the song I'd only heard once.

"Tell me I don't hear…"

"He's here Edward. He showed up unannounced and crashed the sound check."

"Is Bella alright?"

At her name, Jasper was at my side listening intently to the conversation. His thoughts were running in a hundred different directions as he took in my flaming rage. I could hear his voice singing in the background and a long buried desire for vengeance upon the wicked made itself very known.

"Fucking hell, tell me the asshole isn't there with her," Jasper growled as he too heard the song playing. Her beautiful voice joined his and I relaxed slightly. If she was singing, then she was okay. But she was there with him and I wasn't there to protect her. I realized that we had both broken into a dead sprint at some point during the conversation.

"Yeah, she's ok, just a little rattled. I swear I would like to make a meal out of this fucker. He seems determined to be as nasty as possible to everyone around him. If your wife hadn't calmed me down, I may have ripped him apart on the spot."

"What did he say to her?" I wasn't sure I really needed to know. I'd already fantasized about killing the man a thousand different ways in the last two minutes and I didn't need any additional fuel for my ire.

I could hear Bella wailing in the background. Even on this song, which I thoroughly hated simply, because of whom she sang it with, her voice was magnificent. I could see the staging of the number in my head and my stomach tightened with every step that I knew she took toward him.

"There on the tower in the center aren't they Emmett," I growled before he'd even had a chance to answer my last question.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I can hear that their voices are closer to each other. Is he touching her?" Please God, don't let him touch her.

"No. Where are you guys?"

"Not far outside the city limits. We'll be at the club in less than twenty minutes." I could hear her footsteps as she ran down the center walkway, his heavier steps less than a second behind hers.

The song continued for another thirty seconds. I could hear her singing the bridge of the song. My muscles had unclenched slightly, although I still ran as fast as my immortal body would carry me. As long as I could hear her, she was all right.

That thought was shattered as the next words ripped from Emmett's throat.

"Mother fucker!" he roared at an inhuman volume. The clattering noise that followed could have been nothing but his phone as it fell from his hands.

Very faintly I heard Sebastian's voice and a cold shiver ran down my spine and directly into my soul.

"Again. He tried again."

The next sounds I heard through the abandoned cell phone broke my restraint and ignited the monster in me like nothing had in over eighty years.

"What are…Sebastian, you're hurting me."

It was my wife. He was hurting my wife. And Emmett wasn't stopping it. Why in the fuck was Emmett allowing this to happen? The snarl that ripped its way from my throat sounded inhuman, even to my ears. The guitars had come to an abrupt halt and there were the sounds of a commotion filling the air.

"Emmett! Emmett!" I screamed, even though I knew it was useless.

The last thought I was conscious of having was the awareness of Bella screaming out in pain.

By some undeserving miracle, I found myself barreling down the hallway of the hotel room, Jasper hot on my heels. I had no idea why we were here and not at the club, but my body moved as if on automatic pilot. The only thought in my head was that I had to get to Bella.

I pushed the door open with a ridiculous amount of force. Three steps into the room and I froze. The sight before me was as horrifying as it was surreal. JP and Dimitri stood behind the couch in the living room area, identical somber expressions on their faces. Emmett was crouched at the foot of the couch, unbreathing and unmoving. A middle-aged man was kneeling on the floor at the other end of the couch working delicately over a body stretched out on the couch.

The still pale form on the couch was Bella. She was motionless and soundless as the man I realized was a doctor worked over her.

In my shock, Emmett has risen and crossed the room to me. I could feel Jasper's breath on my neck as a wave of calm tried to sweep over me. I stared into my brother's eyes for a split second before I lost control of my anger. I grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands and pushed him into the nearest wall.

"Why the fuck didn't you stop him! How could you let him get that close to her," I roared. I was beyond reason in my turmoil. Emmett made no move to stop me or to free himself. His thoughts had never been more filled with remorse, but I simply didn't care. I wanted to hurt him, to shatter him for letting this happen.

Two steel arms locked around me and tried to pry my off of my brother. I thrashed against Jasper's hold, all the while clutching Emmett in a death grip.

"Edward, Jesus, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her. She wanted to get him out of there before you guys arrived, so she agreed to rehearse a couple of songs with him. I swear to God if I'd had any idea he would…"

"That's the point Emmett, you should have known the second that he walked into the room that he was going to try something. He always fucking tries something."

"It was her decision to make Edward," Jasper quietly whispered into my ear as he tried again to pull me away from Emmett. The stark truth of his words cut through the haze of my anger enough for the latest wave of calm to take hold.

I loosened my grip on Emmett's shirt, ashamed at my reaction. I knew he would lay his life down for her. My own guilt at not being there was masquerading as anger at him. I looked over to the couch to see three sets of eyes wide with horror at the exchange they'd just witnessed. But my focus was on her, still immobile and silent.

I crossed the room as quickly as possible and dropped to my knees at her head. Her breathing was steady and her heartbeat was strong.

"What happened," I asked the room in general.

"He grabbed her arm right after the bridge of the song. Emmett got to her before we could really figure out what was happening and pulled her away from him. He had her out the door before we could get Sebastian under control," JP quietly explained.

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead as gently as possible. I turned slightly to face the doctor, my eyes pleading with him for an explanation for his presence.

"Apparently, the hold the gentleman had on your wife's arm was rather strong. When she was pulled away, her wrist snapped," he clinically explained. The emotionless tone of his voice infuriated me. Did he not realize that her pain was almost unendurable for me? Did he not see just how magnificent a person she was and that her suffering was damn near blasphemy?

"Edward, I'm sorry. I just wanted her away from him as soon as possible," Emmett said somberly as he resumed his place at the end of the couch at her feet.

"Why did you not take her to the hospital?" I asked as calmly as possible. My rage was just barely contained as I thought of the son of a bitch that had caused this.

"She flat refused to go. She begged me to bring her here. She just cried and kept repeating your name over and over. I didn't have the heart to make her any more upset. So when we got back here, we had the hotel call a doctor to come to her," Emmett explained as he rubbed her leg very softly.

My heart ached at his words. She'd cried for me repeatedly and I'd not been there for her. I'd let her down. Again. Was there never going to be an end to the suffering she endured as a result of being with me.

"Stop, Edward. You couldn't have prevented this, even if you'd been there," Jasper admonished me. Undoubtedly, he'd felt my guilt and self-hatred returning.

"Mr. Cullen, your wife's wrist was broken, but the break was clean. We didn't do an x-ray, obviously, but I reset the bones. I'm going to fit her with a brace to wear for the next two to four weeks. There is no reason that the injury shouldn't heal completely."

"Why is she out?"

"The process of resetting the bone is very painful. I sedated her before moving the bones back into place simply to allow her to avoid the pain. She will be asleep for a few hours. I'll leave you a prescription for some painkillers. She'll need them pretty regularly for the first couple of days. I'd also like to keep her wrist immobile for a couple of days, so she'll need to wear a sling."

Bella stirred slightly as I touched my fingers to her cheek. A soft moan escaped from her beautiful lips. I craned my neck to kiss her as I continued to stoke her cheek. At the touch of my lips, she sighed my name.

"I'm here baby. It's all over. I'm here," I whispered to her. I watched as the doctor fitted her right wrist with a black brace. He carefully pulled the Velcro strips tight and I could hear the subtle movement of the fragile bones in her wrist as they shifted slightly.

Her forehead wrinkled, even though she gave no outward sign of consciousness. Pain. She felt the pain even in her drugged state. I would have paid any price to take the pain from her and absorbed it into myself.

"Where is he," I growled at a volume too low for the humans in the room to hear. The immortals, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at my question.

"Edward, what are you think…" Emmett whispered before I interrupted him.

"Where the fuck is he!" I roared. My patience was already beyond thin at this point and I would not be stopped from finding the source of all the turmoil that now surrounded us.

Jasper slowly leaned over the back of the couch, where he had been standing sentry over her motionless form, and inhaled deeply just above her wrist. Without a word, he walked out of the room, his mind filled with both trepidation and anticipation.

I leaned over Bella's chest and placed my ear directly above her chest. Inappropriate as it was given the situation, I smiled when the rhythm sped at my touch, even through the haze of sedation and pain.

"I'll fix it, baby. I promise," I whispered as I placed a soft kiss above her heart.

I noticed JP was speaking in hushed tones to the doctor across the room. I watched as the men shook hands and the small man turned to leave the room. He was filled with relief at the prospect of exiting the room and my presence.

"Edward, " Dimitri began. "I'm sorry. He's never pushed it far enough to actually hurt her before. We should have stepped in or refused to play…something. Anything." He wouldn't meet my eyes as he apologized for something that he could not have prevented. He thought nothing of what this would mean for the band or the remaining tour dates. Only concern for his friend.

"No, I should have been there. It's not your fault; " I tried to say as soothingly as possible. "Is this going to mess you guys up?"

A wide smile spread across his face as he looked over at JP. The look on the bass player's face was shocking. It was the first time I'd ever seen JP look remotely bashful. The effect would have been hysterical under any other circumstances.

"No, " he laughed. "We'll adapt. JP got his ass handed to him over a bet in New Orleans last year and played for three weeks with a cast on his leg and on crutches. Felix sliced his hand open trying to make burritos on the tour bus a couple of years ago, and we ended up taping his drum stick to his hand. Bella's wrist is the easiest of the problems to deal with."

I smirked at JP as the story of his broken ankle replayed in his head. I couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped as he tried to justify the beating in his head. He simply shrugged his shoulders and continued to look sheepishly at me.

As gently as possible, I scooped Bella up and tucked her body against my chest. Her body automatically curled into me and I instinctively tightened my grip on her. She would still be out for several hours, but I didn't want her to be sore when she woke up. I had just placed her on the mattress when I heard Jasper screaming in his head as he made his way back down the hall.

"**Edward, he's here. The fucker is three floors above us!"**

My rage instantly returned. It took all my years of restraint and discipline not to bolt from the room before I was sure that Bella was comfortably settled. When I was as confident as possible that she was okay, I bolted from the room, closing the door behind me.

Jasper and Emmett stood in the middle of the living room, shoulder to shoulder with identical looks of fury on their faces. Both were as consumed with hatred as me. I turned to JP, his body cowering slightly from the scene unfolding before him.

"I need you to go to the airport and pick up the guys from New York. " Apparently, my tone of voice left no room for either debate or questioning, because he nodded once and turned to leave the room. I faced Dimitri; not bothering to hide my anger but hoping that he understood it was not directed at him. "No one comes into this hotel room, understand? If you don't personally know them, they don't come in. Not room service, not the hotel staff, no one." Again, he simply nodded and folded himself into the corner of the couch.

Without a word, my brothers and I left the room and shot toward the elevator. My hands were shaking with rage and my chest felt as if I couldn't get enough air into, never mind how ridiculous that thought actually was. The short ride up, while only lasting seconds, felt like an eternity. On either side of me, the thoughts of my siblings swam with questions. I didn't answer either of them, though. I was simply to focused on what I was about to do.

With no regard for human behavior, I flew down the corridor to the room number I'd picked out of Jasper's head and pounded on the door. I could have taken the thin piece of wood off the hinges, but I wanted a second to listen to the thoughts of the son of a bitch on the other side of the door. As the footsteps approached, his mind was strangely chaotic. It was the first time I'd ever encountered a mind that "thought" in a different voice than it spoke. The voice in his head was deep and raspy with an exaggerated southern twang. It was also yelling. But not at whoever was at the door. The "voice" was yelling at Sebastian. If I'd thought about it at the time, I would have realized just how unsettling it was or at the very least I would have been aware of the warning bells that went off in my own head.

As it was, I could only seethe with rage.

The second the door swung open, I grabbed him by the throat and the two of us flew across the room. I slammed him into the wall with as much force as I could without actually killing him. His breath flew from his chest and he stared at me with wild eyes.

"Nice to meet you, mother fucker. Do you know who I am?" My voice was snarling as I spoke to him.

He looked at me a moment longer before realization settled over him. I knew the instant that he figured out who I was. For no reason other than to increase his sense of dread, I growled at him.

"Yeah, you do know, don't you." I slammed him into the wall again, this time making sure that his head hit the dry wall hard enough to crack the material. His feet were a dozen inches off the ground and his hands were gripped around my wrist. And he had yet to utter a single word.

"What, no nasty comments for me? Let me do the talking then. If you ever touch Bella again, in any way, shape or form, I will fucking shred you. I will tear you limb from limb before I rip your miserable head from your body. Do I make myself clear?"

I dropped him to his feet and his hands flew to his neck. He gasped sharply, trying to take in the air I'd deprived him of. I could still hear the odd voice in his head shrieking something about "one of the creatures" but the words didn't make any sense.

When he straightened up, his eyes were dead and cold. I expected him to flinch away from me, but he took a step toward me. My brothers' thoughts were a mangled mix of desire to hurt him and fear of what my actions would expose. Again, I simply didn't care.

"Aw, what's the matter? A little competition got you spooked? It's no wonder the bitch grinds herself against me every chance she gets. Her husband is a fucking pussy." he drawled out in a mocking tone of voice.

The man was utterly mad. I had clearly shown him that I was not human but still he taunted me. The deep voice in his mind kept up a steady stream of rants that in no way matched the words coming out of his mouth. I'd never encountered such a bizarre phenomenon but I was too lost in my ire to give a shit.

"You listen to me you back woods inbred piece of shit. If you ever so much as breathe on her again, I will not think twice about ending your life." I grabbed his hand harshly and wrapped my fingers around the bones in his wrist very deliberately. I stared him directly in the eye as I slowly tightened my grip. I knew at once when the bones began to give way. He tried to pull away from me, but I continued to squeeze until I felt the bones snap. I released his hand at the same moment that he cried out and crumpled to the floor, a steady stream of curse words flying from his mouth.

"You think I'm afraid of a creature? I know about you. I know what you are and…"

I knelt down until I was eye level with him. I grabbed his chin and forced his head back against the wall until he had no choice but to look me in the eye.

"You think you know what I am do you? Then let me make it perfectly clear for you. If you ever touch her again, I will systematically break every bone in your body, one by one. And after I tire of hearing you beg me for death, I will drain you of every drop of blood in your body and leave your mangled corpse for the sewer rats to feast on. You broke her wrist this afternoon, so I broke yours. But I will not stop there if I ever see you near her again. Make no mistake, she is mine. And I don't take very kindly to you fucking with anything that belongs to me." In all my unnatural years, I'd never once wished that the literary or folklore version of a vampire had been true. But in that moment as I looked into his eyes as the tears he was fighting so desperately began to leak from his eyes, I wished to God that I had fangs. I wanted to watch him cower from me at the sight of the canine teeth protruding from my lips. The voice in his head continued to scream about the "creatures" but I wanted him to know beyond a shadow of doubt that I was a vampire.

I stood and turned towards the door without another word, either to Sebastian or to my brothers. The shock of my behavior was still foremost in their minds as they followed me to the door. I'd just reached for the handle when he began to laugh. It was the maniacal laugh of the crazed that filled the room. I looked back at him still leaning against the wall, his eyes unfocused.

"You gonna burn me too mother fucker?"

"No Sebastian, I won't burn you. I will fucking kill you if you ever touch what is mine again. And I'll do it in the most painful way I can think of."

I pulled the door open quickly and stepped back into the hallway, Jasper and Emmett right behind me. As we made our way back toward the elevator, this time at a human pace, I heard Emmett muttering to himself.

"Note to self, don't ever fuck with 'hubby'. Dude, I can't believe you just did that. What if he starts running his mouth?" Although his words were a valid warning and concern, he was beaming with pride and a little jealousy that he'd not had the chance to physically hurt the asshole.

My anger had abated somewhat in the aftermath of my explosion and as the doors closed and the car began to move, a single thought ran through my mind. I gave no thought to the consequences of my actions or words. My mind had room for only one thought. The solitary word circled in my head over and over as the cables pulled me closer to my sanity, to my comfort.

Bella.

**Chapter Notes: I soooo love Possessive/Vamp Edward. He makes me all tingly! Let me know what you think and I'll see you guys Tuesday.**


	11. Chapter 11Waking Up

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**Giant kisses to everyone that voted for EverClear at the Indie Twific Awards. You wouldn't believe how many new groupies we picked up as a result of the exposure. Thank you guys for being so incredibly supportive.**

**One more chap this week, and then a break until next Thursday. I'm taking the baby to the beach for a few days. We need a break from all the craziness that is RL. But don't worry, the laptop is going with me.**

**Let me know what you guys think, you know that's what makes me purr.**

**There is a little unexpected citrus fruit in here for you guys. It wasn't really planned, but Edward had other ideas.**

Chapter 11-Waking Up

BPOV

I felt as if I was swimming in a very deep pool. I could hear voices around me, but they were muffled and confusing. I struggled to make sense of what they were saying, but I couldn't. I could only catch bits and pieces.

"…do you think he'll say anything?" a soft tinkling female voice spoke from somewhere near my feet. I was aware that my feet felt…heavy. Almost like they'd been encased in lead or concrete. I tried to wiggle my toes, but all I managed to do was create a tingling sensation on the bottom of my foot.

"…don't think anyone would believe him…" a voice I knew I should be able to place responded to the bell-like woman's voice.

As I struggled to make sense of something, anything, I also became aware of a very cold sensation on my back. The coolness ran through my tee shirt into my shoulders, down my spine and even across the back of my legs. It was wonderful, almost like a life raft that I could see from beneath the water but just not quite touch. I shifted my body slightly to try and increase the contact with the icy…whatever…and I sighed when I was rewarded with a firmer press of the bliss behind me.

"Alice, how much longer is she going to be out?" the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard asked quietly. The rich deep texture of the voice was the perfect compliment to the chilly blanket that engulfed me. I never wanted to leave this place, wherever it was.

"Relax, Edward. She's already awake, she's just trying to come out of the fog of the medication."

Something in my head stirred at the name that had fallen so gracefully from the woman's voice. I tried again to focus on what I felt was something important. An icy breeze blew across my neck as my hair shifted away from my skin and then the softest kiss imaginable was being placed just behind my ear.

"Baby, open your eyes for me. Come on Bella, open your eyes," the perfect voice cooed in my ear.

It took less than a second for the ocean of fog to lift from my brain. My eyes flew open and I jerked myself around to find the source of the electric shock that had seemingly flown through my body.

Edward. Oh, God, Edward was home.

The moment I found his eyes, wide as he took in my apparently unexpected movements, I launched myself at him. His arms wrapped around my body and settled on my waist as he laid back into the mattress to let me consume him.

"Edward! Your back," I cried into his shoulder as I desperately tried to grab any part of him that I could reach. I felt his body shaking ever so lightly beneath me as he laughed at my behavior.

"Shh, baby. I'm here." He kissed the top of my head very sweetly as he continued to whisper words of comfort to me.

I closed my fingers into his hair, intent on kissing him. But the fire that raced up my arm at my actions allowed nothing but a shriek of pain. Tears pooled in my eyes instantly as the pain radiated across my hand and down into my fingers. Edward had flipped us the moment the horrible sound left my mouth and was frantically pulling the strips of Velcro on the brace that covered the lower part of my right arm. In a barely discernable move, he closed his fingers around my wrist. The feeling was better than the most frigid ice bag. Immediately, the pain turned from a sharp stabbing motion to a constant ache.

But Edward, in all his glory, distracted me from the ache by planting a searing kiss on my lips. It was forceful and tender at the same moment. My lips parted of their own accord and his tongue plunged in to my mouth. My left hand dug into his hair with all the strength I possessed and I locked myself against him, momentarily forgetting the pain and the other voices in the room. It was only someone clearing his throat loudly that pulled me from the heaven I'd been seeped in for the last several seconds.

"Lord Child, I go away for several days and I don't get so much as a 'hello'. Adonis here goes away for several hours, and you are mauling him. What gives?"

"Chip!" I yelled as I looked to my left to find my best friend stretched out casually on the bed beside me. He leaned over slightly, kissed my forehead and then smiled at me. "I really did miss you, Queenie. Did you have fun?"

"I have never had more fun in my life, Baby Girl. You would not believe the damage we did. They ought to name a city block after your sister for the sheer amount of revenue she generated in that city! It was fabulous. And we picked up quite a few things for you, Little One."

I rolled my eyes at him. After all the years that we'd been together and all the years of me protesting any form of "giving", he still tried relentlessly. It was endearing, but incredibly frustrating. I was trying to find a polite way to respond when I heard Edward groan softly from beside me.

"What?" I asked as I turned my head to look at him. He had a partially amused partially horrified look on his face.

"Nothing, Love. But we're gonna need 'Open Door' to hit triple platinum very soon if we let these two go shopping together often," he laughed. I didn't think I wanted to know the specific circumstances behind that particular comment.

I looked away, grudgingly, from my husband's smiling face and down to the foot of the bed where my sister was perched on the footboard. She was very gracefully tucked into a tiny ball of energy that balanced without a single waiver on the balls of her feet atop the three-inch piece of wood. Her smile was almost as glorious as her brother's was as she gazed lovingly at me.

"I told you I would be back before you knew it," Alice chirped.

I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed her until I looked into her shining golden eyes. She seemed to understand what I was thinking, because in the next second she launched herself across the bed and landed firmly between Chip and me. I curled my left hand backward around her neck as she hugged my torso tightly to her.

"I'd like to tell you that you look good, but damn, you actually look like hell," she quipped as she laid her head against my shoulder. "Is my brother letting you get any sleep at all?"

I blushed at her words but looked up at Edward. His crooked smile flashed across his face and then the adorably cute sheepish look reappeared for a split second. Rather than answer her question, I leaned into Edward and kissed him.

"Well," Chip laughed, "I guess that's your answer."

"Bella, I can't wait to show you some of the things we got for you. I think there may be a few items that my brother will appreciate as well," Alice smirked. "Rose also got you something…special. I'll let her give it to you later."

I did not miss the coy look that passed between her and Chip and for some reason, I felt like I should be blushing again.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Chip asked as he nodded toward my right arm, still clasped between Edward's long fingers. I felt Edward's body shudder and then tighten at the mention of my accident.

I could feel all eyes in the room staring at me as they waited for my explanation, but I knew which pair would be filled with fury. So I pointedly avoided his gaze as I spoke.

"Sebastian was being a shit, as usual. He grabbed my arm during rehearsal and when Emmett pulled me away from him, he didn't let go fast enough. It was an accident. He didn't mean to actually hurt me, he just…" I trailed off.

"Bella!" Edward's voice cut into my speech. "The son of a bitch broke your wrist, that was no fucking accident."

His voice was sharper than I'd ever heard it and he was shaking in his attempt to control his anger. I turned to look at him, hoping to soothe or reassure him, and was shocked at the stare that met me. His eyes had gone completely black and not in a good kind of way. There was a low rumbling growl emanating from his chest at a near constant rhythm. He was less like my husband than I had ever seen him. The only time I could ever remember him looking as menacing had been six years ago in Phoenix.

My vampire was pissed.

"Edward!" Alice's voice broke through the tension filled air, "Jesus, you're scaring Chip and your wife. Take it down a notch."

Chip just giggled at her words and looked at me. "Does he do that often?"

"No, only when he's really ticked or really worked up. Do you think you guys could give us a few minutes?" I knew I needed to talk to him about what happened, but I felt like I needed to do it alone.

The both nodded and silently rose from the bed. When the door had shut behind them, I rolled over slightly to face him. He was still stretched out across the bed, his fingers wrapped gently around my wrist. But everything about his presence screamed anger. His chest was rising and falling much too harshly and his eyebrows were pulled together in concentration. I reached across his fingers gingerly and pulled the brace back into place. When he realized what I was doing, he quickly moved to help me secure the straps in place.

"Thank you," I said quietly but he just nodded. I ran the fingers of my left hand across his furrowed brow and down his check. He closed his eyes and leaned his head into my touch, silently asking for more contact. "It's okay, Baby. I'm fine."

He leaned forward until his forehead was touching my own and took a ragged breath.

"It's not okay, Bella. He hurt you and I wasn't there to stop him. What if he'd grabbed…"

"Shh, Edward. He didn't and no one expects you to be there twenty four hours a day." I kissed him very softly as I spoke.

He pushed himself forward until I was lying on my back with him hovering above me. He was still leaning forward touching my forehead, seemingly unwilling to break the contact. I ran my good hand down his neck and over his chest.

"I missed you so much. I didn't realize how badly it would hurt to be away from you," I whispered into his ear. I felt his body shudder above me, only I knew this shudder was not anger induced.

"Baby, I need you. I need to feel you," he groaned as his hand began yanking impatiently at his belt.

I nodded and spread my legs farther apart to accommodate him. He didn't bother to remove his pants; he simply pushed them below his hips. He pulled the fabric of my underwear once and then tossed the lace remnants away from the bed. His eyes were clenched tightly closed and he still pressed his forehead against me as he entered me.

He moved so slowly and gently that it almost seemed dream-like, like I was still underneath the ocean of water from earlier. He seemed to be relishing in the feel of my body against his, even though we both still wore the majority of our clothes. I ran my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, loving the feel of silken texture.

"I didn't know I could miss anyone as much as I missed you," he rasped out between gentle thrusts. "I just…I just wanted to get back to you. And then I heard you…screaming…and I…" Venom had pooled in his eyes as he looked down at me and even though I knew it would never give him the relief of falling, I was touched at the intense emotion behind the reaction.

"Shh, Baby. I know. It's all right. You're home and I'm fine. Everything is as it should be, Edward," I continued to whisper. He never broke his pace, but I knew his body well enough to know that his release was quickly approaching. He clenched his jaw tightly as he leaned forward to kiss me and I could feel the muscles of his stomach tighten. He thrust his hips three more times and then went perfectly still. I could feel his pulsing deep inside of me and I gripped his shoulder as tightly as I could.

After just a moment, he pulled out and lay his head on my chest, obviously listening to my heartbeat. I knew he was trying to calm himself, so I silently scratched nonsensical patterns into his scalp with my nails. He drew a very deep breath and then rested his chin on my chest to look at me.

"I'm sorry about that. I just…" he fumbled.

"Stop. Don't ever apologize for needing me Edward. God knows I need you in so many ways. Please, don't ever apologize for feeling the same way."

He laughed lightly and the most gorgeous smile graced his lips. He was stunning in his beauty as he looked up at me from underneath his impossibly long lashes. "I love you Bella Cullen," he laughed.

"And I love you, Edward Cullen," I answered with all the sincerity my heart held.

"And we love you both, now get your asses out here before we come in to get you," Emmett called through the door. "Edward, please put your pants back on, Bells, feel free to come out exactly as you are."

The scowl that flitted across his face was adorable. He slid sinuously off the bed and pulled his pants back over his sharp hipbones. I was momentarily stunned at the perfect "V" of his abdominal muscles and stared unabashedly.

"Um, I'm kind of feeling like a piece of meat here," he teased.

"Sorry, it's just that…well, you so…damn, you should never be allowed to wear clothes," I confessed in my stupor.

He laughed freely as he tossed a pair of soft yoga pants to me. As I awkwardly pulled them up with one hand, he disappeared into the bathroom. He returned seconds later holding a glass of water and a small brown bottle. He handed me the glass and then tapped two pills into the palm of his hand.

"What are those?"

"Pain killers. The doctor said you would need them pretty regularly for the next couple of days, until the bone has started to mend."

I did not miss the darkness flash across his eyes as he spoke, but I didn't say anything. I swallowed the pills without protest and then reached my hand out for his. He took it willingly and gently pulled me off the bed and toward the door to the living room.

"Carlisle will be here tonight, probably around ten," he said as he looked at me with an expression that left no room for argument. I should have realized that he would want Carlisle to look at my wrist and in truth, as pointless as it was, it would be wonderful to see him again.

Scattered around the small living room were most of the Cullens and EverClear. Rosalie sat imperiously in an oversized chair by the window with Emmett in front of her with his back against the chair. Jasper and Alice were curled around each other in one corner of the couch with Chip and Marcus at the other end. JP and Dimtri were sitting like kids; legs crossed over each other and backs slumped forward, inches away from the large television, playing a video game. It filled me with more comfort and love than I'd ever known in my life to see such a casual congregation of the most important people in my life.

Emmett rose from his place and walked quickly toward where Edward and I stood. He looked uncomfortable, something I had very rarely ever seen from him.

"Peanut, I'm sorry," he spoke very quickly. "I just wanted you away from that shit. I shouldn't have…"

"Em, stop it. Thank you for getting me away from him. What happened was an accident. It wasn't your fault, hell; it wasn't even really his fault. It was just one of those things. Do not beat yourself up, big brother."

His smile was filled with relief at my words, while Edward on the other hand had stiffened again. My brother wrapped his enormous arms around me awkwardly, since Edward was seemingly refusing to let go of my hand, and hugged me tight. He kissed me on the top of the head before he folded himself back onto the ground at Rose's feet.

Edward towed me across the room toward the other chair beside Rose and sat down. He didn't wait for me to sit in his lap, he simply picked me up under the arms as he turned and placed me against his chest. I leaned back into him as his arms encircled my waist.

"So I brought you something special back from New York," Rose said as she looked at me wickedly. She tossed a rather large drawstring bag to me with a small flick of her wrist.

Edward reached out and snagged the bag mid air. His right eyebrow was cocked as he stared at Rose incredulously. She never flinched at his gaze, only laughed lightly.

"I thought it might come in handy when Edward's away hunting," she said cryptically.

The bag was bright ping and sturdier than I'd thought it would be just by looking at it. I gingerly pulled the strings apart and stared horror stuck at the contents. Okay, so horror struck wasn't really appropriate. I was fascinated and completely embarrassed that I'd opened her present in front of a room full of people.

The beautiful script on the note tucked inside the bag proclaimed the contents to be "The Glassy Duet" but the name in no way gave away its true nature. Nestled inside on a pillow of pink fabric was a perfectly sculpted, perfectly smooth glass penis. It was rounded at the top and notched at the bottom. Part of me wanted to scream and throw it across the room and the other part, well, was exceedingly curious about it. I simply stared at it, my mouth dry as a bone.

"I have a friend, Michelle, that runs a business that specializes in 'toys'. This one in particular I think you'll find interesting. You can submerge it hot water to heat it up, or cold to...I think you get what I'm saying. Enjoy." She looked like the cat that had eaten the canary as she finished her explanation.

"Rose, your sense of humor is truly twisted," Edward sneered. Everyone else in the room was laughing hysterically, no doubt at the tomato red color of my face and neck as I stared the box in my lap.

"Sense of humor, my ass, Eddie. You can't give a girl the keys to the garden and then take them away when you leave," she bit back.

"I cannot wait until we get that back on the bus," JP screamed as he fell to his side laughing.

"Hands off, Asshole. It's mine and you are not allowed to touch it under any circumstances," I chuckled back at him, trying desperately no to look at Edward's still pinched expression.

"So, what time do we leave," Dimitri asked Chip, obviously trying to change the subject.

"What do you mean leave, she's not performing tonight. In fact, someone should call the club and cancel," Edward said calmly from behind me.

I wheeled around to stare at him. I was anything but calm. In fact, I was furious. His overprotective nature was one thing when it was only me that it affected. But his audacity at making such decisions for the band and road crew was incensing. He looked genuinely surprised to see my reaction. He opened his mouth to say something, but I launched myself off his lap before he could. I was distantly aware of JP letting out a low whistle from across the room.

"What exactly do you mean 'She's not performing tonight'? Exactly who gave you the power to make that decision?" I growled at him. I loved my husband more that anything in the world, but in the moment, I was livid. This was nothing but an accident, but it did not change that fact that we still had a job to do tonight.

"Baby," he said in a patronizing tone, "I just thought that today had been hard enough on you. Why make it worse with performing. You guys can always reschedule the show."

"Really? And exactly when did you make this decision? And when were you going to share it with me?"

"Bella, you're being absurd. Cancel the fucking show. You need to rest."

"And you're being petulant, Edward. Even if I agreed with you, which I most certainly do not, that is a decision that I cannot make alone. Everything that effects the band, everything, is a group decision! And pardon me for being blunt, but the last time I checked this was my band, not yours."

I knew my words were hurtful, but he needed to understand that I was not going to jeopardize everything we'd worked so hard for over the years for something as ridiculous as a broken wrist. He rose to his feet, his nostrils flaring and stood inches away from me. The silence in the room was deafening. No one moved or even seemed to breathe.

"Edward, I love you, but you cannot step in and try to take control of this." I turned to face JP and Dimitri on the floor, both of them trying not to stare at the fight that was unfolding before them. Both of them knew me well enough to know that my temper had taken control and that if it wasn't directed at them, they needed to be quiet. "Find Felix and Jane. Ask them to come in here for a few minutes please."

Both of them stood up and walked out of the room without a word.

"How are you going to play, Bella? Your wrist is broken. The doctor wants it immobile for a few days. That means a sling. How exactly are you planing on playing the fucking piano with your hand in a sling?" Edward growled.

"There is more than one person in the band that can play the piano. Jane does it every night. We'll adapt. It's what we do. Why is this so hard for you to understand?"

"You're right, I don't understand why you are being so unreasonable about this. What kind of point are you trying to prove or are you just that God damned hard headed?"

There was a collective gasp from all sides of the room at his harsh words. Chip shifted in his seat, as if he was about to rise, but I stopped him with a glare in his direction.

"The point? The point is that Sebastian fucking Steele is not going to take away what I have worked for years to achieve! I will march my ass up on that stage and sing the hell out of my songs as long as I have a breath in my body. He is not going to take that from me and I am stunned that you would let him."

He looked like I'd slapped him. Pain tore through every feature of his beautiful face. He stared at me, obviously at a loss for words.

"He is going to be there tonight, Edward. And I don't want to give him any reason to think that he's gotten to me. This afternoon was bad enough, but I will not give him my show as well."

"Actually, he won't be there tonight, Baby Girl. He apparently had an accident of his own this afternoon. His wrist is also broken. So, he's bowed out of appearing with you tonight, so that he can do his own show tomorrow night."

I spun to look at Chip. His words didn't make any sense.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular.

"That would be me," answered Edward flatly. "I paid him a little visit after I made sure you were okay."

"What did you do?" I asked him, the anger fading quickly to concern.

"An eye for an eye. I also make it clear that if he ever hurt you again, it would be his final act." His voice was steely and cold. The vampire spoke, not the man. But I loved the vampire as well and I knew that his response was logical to him. But I was terrified. Edward didn't have all the information he needed and now there were serious consequences to be dealt with.

"Edward, you shouldn't have," I said quietly as I exhaled loudly. He opened his mouth to argue but I needed to finish. "He knows. I don't know how, but he knows. About you."

"If he didn't before sound check, he does now. I left no room for any confusion."

I couldn't process what he was saying. He'd knowingly exposed himself to a lunatic with a nationwide audience to confess to should the urge strike him. He'd done it willingly, with no concern for himself in order to protect me. Suddenly, my anger at the show felt very silly and childish.

"Baby, why? You didn't have to…"

"Yes, Bella, I did." He stepped forward toward me and placed his hands on my upper arms. "You still don't accept it, do you? You. Are. My. Life. If anything or anyone hurts you, even thinks about hurting you, it is my job to stop it. I love you, with everything I have."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled myself into his chest. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and he kissed the top of my head. He rocked us back and forth for just a moment before he pulled back enough to lean down and kiss me.

"What are we going to do about him," I asked quietly, still gazing into his eyes.

"I don't know yet. We got some information from our attorney on him. I don't think we need to make a decision until we read through it all. But in the meantime, please promise me one thing."

I cocked my eyebrow at him. He smiled quickly before his expression turned serious.

"Please, don't take any unnecessary chances where he is concerned. I heard what you said about not letting him take your success from you, and I get it. I'm sorry if it seemed like I didn't. But, Baby, the man is unhinged. We don't know what he's capable of. Please, let me be there anytime he's around you."

I nodded my acceptance of his request. It was a genuine concern, even if I thought he was overly anxious about it. Edward had always been overly anxious when it came to me, so I knew this would be no different.

"Ok, so until we see him again, we have a decision about tonight to make," I said, trying to convey that he was as much a part of the band as the rest of us.

"Actually, no you don't," JP called from behind me. I wheeled around in Edward's arms to see the rest of the band gathered by the door. "Majority rules, right? So the majority is that yes, we perform tonight. No, you don't play a single note. And if he's willing, Edward plays on stage with us all night."

I smiled at them as I felt Edward nodding his head behind me.

"And just to piss Asshat off, we think you and Edward should sing 'What Have You Done' and then follow it up with 'The Howling". Word will get back to him before midnight that you did it without him and it will send him into a fucking fit," JP laughed.

My smile grew impossibly wider at the thought of anything that would include Edward and piss Sebastian off. JP tossed an Ipod to Edward as he turned to leave the room.

"If I were you, I'd get to listening. You've got a lot to learn in just under three hours, Eddie. And your girl here is apparently a bad ass, screaming a freakin' vampire for God's sake. So get your bad boy mojo in gear.

Edward just laughed at him, but stuck one of the small speakers into his ear and pushed play.

"So, are you two ready to get dressed? We're gonna be crunched for time, even without your handicap, Doll," Chip asked as he rose from the couch.

"Yeah, let's do it," I answered him as I pulled Edward toward the bedroom. The look on his face was priceless as he concentrated on the lyrics of the song he'd be singing in just a few hours.

As we stepped into the bedroom, I heard Jasper chuckle.

"Rose, I don't think your present is going to get any use tonight. First fight make up sex? It sounds like whoever is in the next room may want to find somewhere else to stay tonight. I'm thinking it could get loud in there," his Southern drawl spoke amusedly.

Chapter Notes: So, Bella's present is a real product. One of my readers, Michelle, really does this for a living. The scene in this chapter was written before she made the suggestion, but she provided me with the details. Check out her website if your interested (really, who wouldn't be aside from some of my male readers…and even they might like the reaction their ladies get from it). Check her out at passionforromance (dot) net.

**Let me hear it, you know your reviews make me edit faster. Next up is a point of view we haven't heard from yet. **


	12. Chapter 12Mama Bear

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**I'm back!!! Sun-burnt shoulders and all. I missed you guys, but JP gave me some very interesting ideas while we lay in sand and drank little fruity drinks. I can't wait to see what you guys think of them.**

****Squeals** So, EverClear made it to the final round of voting in The Indie Twific Awards!!!! And it is all due to you guys. I'm begging you to log on one more time and vote again. Just in case you forgot, the address is theindietwificawards (dot) com. Voting runs from yesterday through the 26****th****!! It would be so incredible to have EverClear make a good show in the finals.**

**After this chapter, the drama is really going to start coming at you hard and fast. I know it feels like I've drug it out forever, but trust me. Everything we've seen and done so far has a purpose. **

**You know what I'm looking for. Make me purr and we may just get a two-shot on Sunday. **

**Chapter 12- Mama Bear**

**EsmePOV**

"Right this way Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. EverClear has been expecting you," a young man with very long hair said in a surprisingly polite voice. He turned with a smile and led us toward to door of the club. The moment he pulled the door open, the thundering music surrounded us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle's beautiful smile grow even wider as our daughter's voice filled the air. I chuckled quietly to myself as I though of my husband's recent behavior at the hospital. Immediately after arriving home from Atlanta, he had purchased an Ipod, loaded it with every EverClear song he could find and had proudly thrust the headphones into the ears of every hospital employee that would stand still long enough to listen. We made our way down a narrow hallway that smelled strongly of stale beer and sweat, but the aroma was becoming comfortingly familiar.

"I knew you loved me then," sliced through the air with heavenly clarity.

"At least we know where they are in the show," my husband called over his shoulder as we reached the end of the corridor and the young man pulled back a thick metal door. On the other side of the door was a square table surrounded by chairs. There were no other patrons anywhere near the table. If the location alone hadn't made it evident that it had been placed there especially for us, the occupants of the table made it abundantly clear.

Looking every bit like rock and roll royalty, four of our children were seated around the small table and were clearly enjoying themselves. The boys were dressed in identical black tee shirts with the word "Security" plastered across the front and black jackets. The girls were dressed to the nines in black and leather. Alice and Rose, in particular, could have stepped out of a music video. Nestled in the middle of the group was Chip, his glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose. They were all bouncing various body parts in perfect time with the song and Rose was singing along with Bella in a beautiful harmony.

"Mom," Alice cried as she rose to her feet and threw her arms around my neck. "When did you guys get here?"

Chip was on his feet shaking hands with Carlisle, both of them smiling knowingly at each other. I was so distracted by the exchange that I almost missed Bella making her way up the flight of stairs directly in front of the area that had been corded off for us. She was dressed in a long black leather trench coat with the right arm tucked into a pocket and black boots with a very small heel. She smiled beautifully at us for a split second before turning to face the audience.

I cocked my eyebrow at Chip as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed both cheeks.

"What can I say? Our girl isn't known for her grace even with the use of both hands, much less with one arm strapped to her chest. Your son was particularly adamant about making sure she didn't have on very high heels," he chuckled.

I looked down onto the stage and immediately found Edward. He was seated at the piano and watching Bella like a hawk. His eyes never left her, even as he nodded his head in acknowledgement of his father and I. It still made my eyes fill with venom to see my son so filled with happiness and love. For decades, I'd watched him suffer his loneliness and isolation in silence. I had worried and fretted and sometimes even raged over his pain for years. But a single look into his love filled eyes as he stared at his wife warmed my long still heart.

"What are you smiling at Darling?" Carlisle whispered into my ear as we took our seats.

"Edward. He looks like he's about to burst with happiness and it just makes me happy."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed lightly, apparently agreeing with my sentiment. The end of the song pulled our attention back toward the stage. Bella stood in the very center breathing very heavily from the exercion of the show. We all knew that "My Last Breath" was the next song on the set list, at least if it was the same set as Atlanta, and we all thought that we were prepared for the introduction. I knew that my old fashioned sensibilities were very engrained but I had to admit that the little strip tease coming up got the crowd going like nothing else in the show did. But when Edward stood from the piano and walked up behind Bella, we all looked at each other with mirroring puzzled expressions.

"Isn't my wife gorgeous?" Edward asked the crowd. He leaned forward and nuzzled her ear just as she turned to look at him. By the look on her face, she obviously had no idea what he was doing either. His arms circled her waist as a wicked smile spread over his face. The band began to play the intro to the song and Edward, my reserved quiet Edward, began to slowly unbutton her jacket. "How about a song about sex to keep things interesting," he purred to the audience below him as he pulled the tie to her jacket.

"Oh my God!" Alice and Rose both gasped at the same time. The entire table was howling with laughter at his display. Alice turned to Carlisle and with a loud snort exclaimed, "That's your son."

"I cannot believe that he did that," Chip chuckled as he shook his head back and forth. "That is not the same man I met a few weeks ago."

"Chip, she looks beautiful. How did you make the sling look like part of the outfit?" I asked astonished as I took in the costume my daughter worn. She had on a very tight leather corset and skin-tight leather pants. But the sling that held her broken wrist wrapped across her body and around her neck was situated to look like a deliberate adornment to the outfit. There was a second piece of fabric that crossed the opposite direction of the sling to create an identical pattern across her chest. Her wrist was secured tightly against her torso, completely immobile.

"It was not without a great deal of inventive sewing and arguing with Her Highness. I have to thank your son for stepping in and convincing her to let me put it together," he smirked as he watched her move around the room.

The rest of the show progressed exactly as it had in Atlanta with the glaring exception of her not playing. The remarkable thing was that the change in her performance seemed almost rehearsed. There were no awkward moments or hesitation from her or the band. And Edward. Good grief, Edward. He seemed more in his element than I could ever remember him. He played with a ferocity that I had never seen in his own compositions or his classical repertoire. I was quite sure that Bella had everything to do with that, but it was remarkable to watch none the less. He seemed as much a part of the band as JP or Bella and the crowd seemed to love him.

They were nearly finished with the last song before the break when Edward visibly stiffened at the keys. His eyes narrowed and darkened in the same instant. The excited expression that he'd worn for the entire show was replaced with a look of abject fury. It was evident that I was not the only one of the group that had noticed the change as Jasper and Emmett both rose from their seats. They followed Edward's laser point gaze from the stage to the back of the theater and I was shocked when they both growled.

"Son of a bitch showed up," Emmett snarled as the lights on the stage went dark and Edward pulled Bella into his arms.

"Asshole has some nerve," Jasper spat as we all made our way back behind the stage and toward what I assumed was the dressing room.

"Boys, what is going on?" I asked as I almost ran to keep pace with their long strides.

"Sebastian," they both hissed as we all stepped into the tiny room directly behind the stage.

I sucked in a breath sharply as the name registered. Carlisle had explained all he knew about the situation after Edward had called him this afternoon. And now the man was here. If my sons didn't kill the man, I wasn't sure I wouldn't. One characteristic that had been intensified at my rebirth into vampirism was the fiercely protective "Mama Bear" instinct and this man had threatened my youngest and most vulnerable. The rage that coursed through my body was frightening in its intensity and potency.

The scene inside the room was comical, even given the seriousness that hung in the air. Bella was flopped onto a long brown couch with JP sitting directly in front of her on the floor. Her feet were sitting on each of his shoulders and she was making some odd game of shoving him from side to side. With each push, he would lurch forward and swat at her foot. Her head was reclined back and her eyes were only half open as she watched his body sway from side to side, all the while giggling like a maniac. Edward was, of course, sitting beside her. His face was still drawn and tight, but he was busing himself with unwrapping her arm.

"Did you see him?" he asked his brothers as they stepped into the room. He never took his eyes off her wrist but everything about his mannerisms shouted fury.

"Yeah, what do you want us to do about it?" Emmett asked as he leaned over and kissed Bella's forehead gently while at the same time mussing JP's hair.

"Who? See who?" Bella asked Edward, suddenly very alert. She sat straight up and pulled her arm away from him in a very quick move.

He sighed heavily as he released her hand. His eyes cut to Carlisle, who immediately sat on Bella's right and grasped her arm gently.

"Sebastian's here, Baby. He's at the back of the room on the upper level. I don't think he's been here the entire set, I only saw him during the last song."

I was so proud of Edward in that moment. Five years ago, Edward would have done everything in his power to keep the situation hidden from her. Although he would have done it out of love and concern, he still would have kept it from her. The new level of maturity and trust he showed filled me with pride. He's always been a good boy but it was incredible to see him act like a good man. And yet again, it was all due to Bella.

"That little Fucker," she shrieked.

All eyes in the room immediately fell to her but she did not blush, as I expected. She looked incensed and not the least bit bashful. Edward chuckled under his breath and JP barked out a laugh.

"Oh, you're in trouble now. You cussed in front of Mom," the newest human to make his way into our folds shouted.

Bella's eyes found me and her left hand immediately clapped over her mouth. Her eyes were as wide as a deer in the headlights as she gazed at me.

"I'm sorry Esme. I didn't…"

"Honey, it's fine. I was thinking the same thing," I reassured her as I sat on Edward's other side and gently rubbed her leg. Her head dropped forward and she stared into her lap. The bright red flush that was creeping up her neck gave her embarrassment away.

"Hey! How come she gets to cuss and we don't," JP asked with mock indignance. I just laughed as he smiled.

I glanced over her lap and looked at her wrist as Carlisle gently turned her wrist over in his hands. There was a series of dark purple finger shaped bruises surrounding her wrist. There was additional bruising that spread at least five inches up her forearm and a large lump directly above the bone. It was horrible to look at and I could only imagine how painful it had to be, particularly while performing. Knowing the story, I was again enraged at the man who had the audacity to hurt one of my children and a primal urge that I had suppressed for decades rumbled low in my stomach.

"Oh, Honey. How are you performing?" I asked as Bella stared blankly at her lap. She simply shrugged her shoulders and leaned into Edward's side as he kissed her temple.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked as he watched the exchange. I noticed his finger pressed lightly against the pulse point in her left wrist as he continued to speak. "How much medication did you give Bella?" His voice was concerned but his expression was somewhat amused.

Edward looked very sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Bella, who had still not looked up from her lap.

"I gave her two when she woke up and I might have given her two more before she went on stage," he admitted very quietly.

"Edward! You know better than that, she's only been awake for about four hours. Christ, Edward it's a wonder she can stand," my husband admonished him. Emmett, Jasper and JP were all laughing at his embarrassment as he looked pleadingly at his father.

"Carlisle, look at her arm. How was she supposed to perform without being heavily…" he explained in a rushed voice.

"Stoned," JP finished for him, falling over on his side laughing. "Oh hell, Bitch is wasted, Eddie's pissed and Sebastian is in the house. If we hadn't already, I'd say we should sell tickets to this."

Even I couldn't help but chuckle at his exuberance.

"Well, the doctor was correct. The break is clean and the bone is set correctly. Assuming she leaves it as stationary as possible for the next several days, it should heal with no lasting effects," Carlisle spoke to the room in general. After years together, I could hear the slight frustration in his voice but he was trying very hard to not let it leak through.

"Can we throw him out?" Bella asked as she finally looked up from her lap. Her eyes, so glassy just a moment ago, were sharp as tacks.

"We can do anything you want to, Baby Girl," Chip answered. His lips were pursed and I recognized the parental concern that colored his features. Even without any of my children's gift, I knew that this odd little man loved Bella more than anything else in the world and for that, I loved him.

"Anything?" she asked with a vengeful smile on her face.

"Anything, Baby. We'll do whatever you want us to do about him," Edward said soothingly as he rubbed her shoulders. I could tell he was placating her but she was deadly serious. Her spirit and strength were on point at the moment, even if her husband didn't recognize it.

"Ok, so here's what I want. JP hand me the set list. We're changing the entire second set," she said very confidently as she held her hand out for the existing schedule.

"What? What are you up to?" JP asked with a mischievous grin.

They spent the next five minutes redoing the songs that the band would play. With every addition and every suggestion, Edward's eyes grew wider. He was clearly astounded, and possibly frightened, by the changes that Bella was making to the show. Even I had to admit, it was ambitious and I knew very little about the actual mechanics of the show. When Bella had her entire plan laid out and explained, the room was completely silent for a heartbeat.

Edward slid to his knees in front of her and grasped her left hand in both of his, the look on his face was absolute adoration as he stared at her.

"Bella, are you sure you're up to this?" he asked, but the smile on his face betrayed his excitement at his devious wife's plan.

"I'm sure. Are you up to it? Do you know all the songs?" she asked him very seriously.

His laughter was angelic. Edward happy was something that we had not seen nearly enough over the years and it was magic to behold.

"Yeah, I know them Ms. Cullen. God, I love the way your twisted mind works," he said against her lips as he kissed her.

"And you guys know what to do, right?" she asked Jasper and Emmett, who were clearly thrilled with her strategy. They both nodded their head enthusiastically.

Alice clapped her hands loudly as her own laughter rang through the room. "This is going to be so freaking cool. Bells, you truly are a Cullen."

That reminded me of something.

"Sweetheart, I have something for you before you go back out," I said as I watched my husband refasten the brace around her arm.

All eyes turned toward me as recognition of what I held in my purse registered. I pulled the small unassuming box from my handbag and placed it into Edward's hand. His eyes met mine for a brief second before he huffed out his breath. His eyes held all the emotion that my heart did as he opened the box.

He pulled the small pendant from the box and held it reverently in his outstretched hand toward his wife. Edward's wife. The words still made my heart sing and my eyes prick with phantom tears. The mood of the room shifted as the rest of my family took their places around the couch. The love and hope and excitement was almost palpable. Even JP seemed to understand that something profound was taking place, even if he didn't know exactly what it was.

"I have waited more than ninety years to be able to give this to you. You are my life, my love, my heart and my soul. You are my everything," my son whispered into the still air of the cramped room. His eyes held hers and they seemed to be having a conversation that was reserved for their hearts alone.

"And you are daughter, sister, friend and family of the rest of us Bella," Carlisle said quietly. "We all wear this crest as a sign of our dedication to each other and to our way of life. It is in this spirit that we all present you with your own Cullen Crest."

She traced the pendant with her finger very slowly. Her soulful eyes, so deep and knowing, were rapidly filling with tears. Edward leaned forward and kissed her softly before raising the pendant attached to a wide strip of black leather to her throat. He fastened the clasp at the back and then slid his fingertips back around to trace the small lion in the center of the crest.

"Bella Cullen, now and forever," he spoke to no one but her.

"Forever, my love," she replied quiet as the wind.

She turned to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I hugged her as tightly as possible, hoping that all the emotions I felt were expressed in my embrace.

"Thank you, Esme. For everything," my youngest daughter said as she smiled her thousand- watt smile at me.

"No Sweetheart, thank you. For breathing life into our family and for bringing love to our Edward."

Each member of my family took their turn in hugging her and speaking words of love to our newest member. I was touched by Rose's embrace especially. She had struggled the most with not only our new life but with Bella as well. But she had finally opened her heart to both and she seemed more at peace than I'd ever known her to be.

"Two minutes," an unfamiliar voice called from the other side of the door. The interruption seemed to break the spell that had been temporarily cast over the room. Edward pulled Bella to her feet and they began to make their way to the door.

"Wait, we're missing someone," Bella squeaked out from underneath Edward's arm, that was wrapped tightly around her shoulder.

She walked back toward the corner of the room, where JP sat crossed legged on the floor. His eyes were ringed with red and puffy. There were obvious tear streaks on his face as he smiled at her.

"You okay, Asshole," she asked as she squatted down eye level with him.

"Yeah, that was just really fucking sweet. I wanna be a Cullen when I grow up," he teased, although I suspected there was more truth to his words than he would like to admit.

I crossed the room and reached my hand down to help his up onto his feet. He smiled bashfully at me before reaching out and slipping his hand into mine. When he was on his feet, I wrapped my arm around his waist and squeezed him to me.

"I don't have any more children for you to marry, so how about if we make you an honorary Cullen? Is that close enough?" I asked him.

"That, Mom, would be perfect. As long as I can use Daddy's credit card and car keys."

The laughter filled the hallway as we made our way back around the stage and the three of them made their way toward the wings. The serious and concerning parts of the evening were now over and it was time to watch my daughter's wicked plan go into full effect.

As I thought of what she had in store, I realized that she was more a Cullen than we'd ever realized, even before she actually belonged to us.


	13. Chapter 13Shocking Behaviors

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**I am so thrilled with the number of new readers we've picked up as a result of the Indie Twific Awards. I love to see all the new names and reviews. To all my faithful readers, you guys are beyond fabulous. I wish I had the words to express just how much you mean to me. Today is the last day of voting, so if you haven't had a chance to do so, go vote! EverClear needs your support. The website is theindietwificawards (dot) com. **

**Playlist:**

**Anything For You-Evanescence**

**Further Away-Evanescence**

**What Have You Done- Within Temptation**

**Lies- Evanescence**

**All of these can be found on YouTube if you don't already have them on your Ipod.**

**See you at the bottom**

Chapter 13-Shocking Behavior

EPOV

We stood at the very edge of the stage, just waiting for the signal that it was time to return to the stage. JP was standing on my right taking very deep breaths that were in perfect time with the chants of the audience. From the moment that the lights dimmed over the room letting the crowd know that the band's return was only two minutes away, they had begun to chant the words "EverClear" over and over.

On my left, Bella was jumping up and down on the balls of her feet. She looked like a pint sized prizefighter getting ready to step into the ring. With every leap, her hair bounced and swirled around her shoulders, almost as it she was underwater. Her eyes were clear and focused even through the medication-induced haze that I had placed her under. But I could not focus on anything other than her crest for more than a second. I'd thought that seeing Bella wearing my mother's wedding ring would never be topped. I'd dreamt of the moment countless times since the day that I'd first realized that I was in love with her. But seeing her wearing our crest was simply…magnificent. It was the same token that I'd worn nearly every day of my immortal life and I'd not fully understood the significance of it until I'd fastened it around her slim neck with our family watching.

Her acceptance without hesitation of the small pendant was absolution for me. It was complete acceptance of what and who I was, it was complete trust in my family despite our nature and it was total devotion from the woman that had so changed every aspect of me.

"What are you looking at?" she asked as she gently grasped my hand, pulling me from my own thoughts and back into the incredible energy of the room.

"You. I didn't think I'd ever think you were more beautiful, but wearing my family's crest has done it. I can't take my eyes off of you," I answered her honestly.

"You do realize that you are ridiculously romantic, right Mr. Cullen?" she said as she blushed furiously.

I leaned forward and kissed her lightly in response. In the next second, Marcus signaled to us that it was time to take the stage.

"Ready?" she asked as she took the first step up and toward the wailing crowd of five thousand plus.

"As I'll ever be," I chuckled at her enthusiasm. I would never know where she drew her endless strength from, only that I was immensely blessed to be loved by someone so fierce.

As we all walked to our respective places on the stage, the roar of the crowd was overwhelming. I could feel the sound waves as they crashed over my skin again and again. The heat of the lights and the increased temperature of the room only added to the incredible feeling of being on stage. Bella walked directly to the front of the stage and grabbed the microphone with the left hand. The crowd erupted in shouts and screams of adoration. My chest swelled with pride as I watched her dominate everyone in the room.

"Who came here tonight hoping for a nice sweet emotional show?" she called out to the mob. There was a polite volume of applause but nothing close to what I knew the crowd was capable of. She nodded her head in acknowledgment of those that had responded and smiled very deviously. "You guys are S.O.L. If you want emotional, go see Celine Dion. This is EverClear!" she yelled at the top of her lungs and the people below all but exploded out of the building. The surge of bodies toward the stage at her proclamation was bordering on frightening as they rushed toward the stage.

JP had thrown his head back at her declaration and was screaming as loudly as anyone in the audience, while Dimitri had both hands raised in fists above his head. The intensity of the energy in the building was unlike anything I'd ever felt in more than a hundred years on the planet. I glanced at my family sitting directly across from the left side tower of the stage and almost choked at the scene. Rose and Alice were screaming as enthusiastically as the humans below them, my mother had both hands above her head clapping and Carlisle, my controlled reserved father, was literally pumping his fists above his head in the most unrestrained display I'd ever witnessed from him.

"Okay, okay guys. Listen up," my wife tried to calm the crowd. "So, I'm guessing that by now you've all heard 'Open Door' right?" Again the crowd went absolutely insane in their response. "We played a couple from the new album last week in Florida and they went crazy. Let's see if you guys like them as well," she yelled into the mic as the opening bars of "Anything For You" rang through the space.

She sang with abandon as she wailed the song into the night. The band, myself included, could not help but get caught up in her dynamic performance. She ran back and forth across the front of the stage during each verse and used her entire body to conduct the frenzy that was brewing below. All of us played with our entire bodies. JP slung his dreadlocks in an almost constant motion during the entire song, stopping only when Bella leaned her back against him to finish the song out. By the time the song came to a close, there wasn't a single body in the entire room that was not jumping or dancing or head banging.

"You guys like that one do you," she spoke breathlessly into the mic again. "Well, I think you can do better. How about a little 'Farther Away' for you. Edward, get us going Baby."

I complied with her request and then watched partially awestruck and partially concerned as she thrashed her entire upper body in time with the guitars as they picked up the rhythm. Her voice was haunting as she sang the angry song. The song's hard driving beat built the momentum of the crowd's response in an even climb toward out of control. During the second verse, she walked out onto the center aisle of the stage and sang into the upper balcony of the stage. I couldn't help but tense as she focused her gaze on Sebastian, standing stoically in the rear with an evil scowl on his face and flanked by two men that I assumed were in EMD as he watched the performance. She was much too far from him for him to pose a threat to her, but I knew that the lyrics would anger him once she directed them toward him. I searched the room briefly for Jaz and Emmett just as she began the first wave of her assault on him and relaxed only slightly when I saw them both standing about thirty feet on either side of him.

She looked him directly in the eye and then screamed the harsh lyrics at him:

Not you

**Not love**

Just nothing

He visibly shrank from her poignant rejection of him and I smiled from ear to ear. She ran from the center aisle back toward the stage as she sang the chorus of the song for a second time. But she shocked me when she kept moving toward the left tower stairs and climbed them very quickly as Jane played the small interlude and the stage lights went black.

When the lights came back up, she was standing in the area that had been set up for our family. Chip looked fucking stunned as he took in her hyperactive performance. But my jaw hit the ground when my sister threw her arm around Bella's shoulder and thrashed her long blond hair around in perfect time with her. Rosalie. Rosalie was freaking head banging!

When Bella threw her hair back to sing the bridge, she slapped a very unamused Chip with her massive locks. But she looked into Rose's smiling face and sang directly to her. Rose was obviously mouthing the lyrics back to her and Alice was all but coming apart at the seams as she danced beside the two. Bella placed a quick kiss on Rose's cheek before she began her descent of the stairs, wailing the chorus again.

As she closed the song, she held the notes a ridiculously long time and made a run of them that would have impressed even the most seasoned opera singer. The crowd, almost out of control when the song began, went simply ape shit. There was no other way to describe it, crass as it sounded. The entire room was a sea of hands and fists and hair as they cheered her exuberant performance.

"What the fuck is in those pills you gave her," JP barked out as she tried again to calm the crowd enough to intro the next song. I could do nothing but laugh at his question. She was on fire tonight and there seemed to be no stopping her.

"Shh," she plead with the crowd when the noise level diminished by only a fraction, her left hand making a downward motion like a kindergarten teacher would use to quiet an unruly class of five year olds. When that failed to work, she finally gave in and shouted, "Shut the hell up!"

"Damn, you guys are smokin' tonight," she praised the audience. "We were suppose to have a guest tonight, but he bailed on us. Apparently, the poor thing hurt his hand today and didn't feel up to performing," she said in a sickly sweet mocking voice and held her own injured hand out from her body just enough for the crowd to see her own brace.

I looked to Sebastian for his reaction and was not disappointed. His skin was almost magenta in his anger at her calling him out. Everyone in the crowd knew exactly who was suppose to be performing tonight and she had just shredded his credibility with every one of them. His eyes were narrowed in fury and I could see his chest heaving even from my place at the piano.

"But I like the song and I think you guys do too," she continued. "So, we got to thinking that this would be a good time to let you guys get to know the newest member of EverClear." She turned and faced me with a drop dead gorgeous smile on her face. Just as I rose from my piano bench, Dimitri began the guitar solo that would usher in "What Have You Done". I crossed the stage and took my place beside her with an unfamiliar fluttering in my stomach. It took only a split second to realize that I was anxious. I looked out into the faces of the crowd and wondered for just a moment if she could do this if she could see with the clarity I did.

What have you done now

The entire band picked up after the deep growled shout that began the song and I took in a deep breath. It was the first time since the day I'd decided to try and talk to Bella in Biology that I felt nervous to my very core, albeit for an entirely different reason.

"You can do this Edward. I love you," my wife whispered for my ears alone before turning to face the crowd and shouting "Ladies and gentleman, give it up for my husband, Edward Cullen."

I didn't have time to think about anything else before I began singing. Hearing my own voice echoing out through the crowded space was an almost out of body experience. Even though I knew I was singing, it simply didn't feel real. I'd sung on stage with Bella many times, but I'd never had to perform. I'd always been wrapped in the sanctity of her eyes and the rest of the world always seemed to fade away.

But this was something entirely different. I was seconds away from being overwhelmed by the experience when her voice joined me. I glanced to my left and met her eyes, shining with love and confidence. It gave me all the power I needed to keep going. Bella and I together could topple any mountain and this was no different.

With a renewed confidence, I sang the chorus to the song and began to relax into the performance. I was still amazed at the sheer power of her voice as we sang the desolate lyrics that had been written about the two men that I hated most in this world. But standing beside her, it was not as painful to endure. She was the balm to my every pain and this performance was no exception.

As we began the next verse, I made it a point of looking directly at Sebastian.

Would you mind if I killed you

**Would you mind if tried**

If looks could have killed, we would both have been dead. I was too far away and surrounded by too many people to pick out the thoughts in his head, but even without my gift, I would have seen the sheer hatred that he directed at me. It was that knowledge that I used to intensify my own performance through the second chorus. The harder I sang, the more forcefully Bella sang and the more the audience below us responded.

I turned my body to face Bella as we started the bridge to the song and caught a glance of my family. My mother, in particular, looked like she would burst at the scene before them. It was unbelievable how right it felt to stand beside this incredible creature. Her voice was exquisite and raw and carried all the emotions her human heart held in every single note. Her eyes were alight with pride as she sang the last chorus looking directly at me. I could feel the smile on my face, even though I was unaware of my actions. I'd never felt more exposed or more loved than I did at that moment. She had trusted me with her song, her career and the world that she had created for herself and was proud of how I was handling it.

I'd never loved her more.

I couldn't help but reach out for her and pull her body to flush with mine as the last note rang through the air. She reached up with her left arm and wrapped it fully around my neck as I lifted her tiny body off the ground in a hug. I could feel the hot tears dripping onto my neck as she cried with happiness. A second later, with her still suspended off the ground, I felt JP wrap his arms around me from behind and squeeze. I placed her back on her feet and she faced the audience, the salty tears still running down her face. Dimitri had walked across the stage and had just taken my hand in his to congratulate me when she addressed the crowd.

"Sebastian who?" she sneered and the audience boomed with catcalls and whistles. They were as happy with the performance as she was and they roared their appreciation to me.

"Fucking awesome, Eddie. Absolutely fucking awesome," JP said through a toothy smile as the crowd continued to thunder.

Bella had reclaimed her position in the front of the stage once again and was trying to bring the crowd down just a little in their volume when the scream from the back of the room bellowed out. It was a bizarre coincidence that the exact moment the shithead screamed that the noise level in the room dropped enough for everyone to hear.

"You fucking bitch!" Sebastian roared across the cavernous room. As his voice cut through the elation of the crowd, all eyes turned to him. He was panting; his chest heaving and his hands were clenched into fists. The black plaster cast on his right hand shone like a beacon across the room, reminding me of just how badly I wanted to kill the man. His horrible words only further flamed my all-consuming hatred.

But as usual, Bella did not react as I, or anyone else in the room, expected. She laughed hysterically into the microphone at his vile words.

"Boz, get a light on him. Obviously, Sebastian feels the need for attention tonight. Let's give it to him." Her voice was even and calm as the spotlight found him in the crowd. He didn't say anything else; he just stared at her and huffed. "You guys want to know what happened to my arm?" she asked the audience sweetly. "Dickhead up there broke my wrist this afternoon," she explained and the audience reaction was instantaneous. There was an extremely loud round of "boos" and catcalls that were all directed at him. The crowd seemed as outraged at his behavior as I'd been and were every bit as vocal in their displeasure.

JP seemed to be enjoying her display immensely. He was laughing and making a very big show of flipping his middle fingers at Sebastian. Dimitri looked incensed at the interruption. But my brothers were truly furious. They wore identical murderous glares as they slowly closed the distance between them and their target.

"Why don't we all give EMD's front man the salute that he so richly deserves," my wife yelled into the mic as the volume level grew steadily louder. And then she raised her left hand high above her head and very gracefully raised her middle finger to him. Her action seemed to be the cue for all five thousand people in the room to follow suit. The scene was fabulous to behold as the shouts for him to "fuck off" or "go to hell" grew louder and louder. I was so proud of her I could hardly breathe.

I looked at her but spoke into the mic as the noise level grew to almost painful heights. "I think its time to take out the trash, Baby." I smiled at her; her hand still raised high and began to walk up the center aisle toward Sebastian.

The look on his face was priceless. It was a perfect combination of anger, embarrassment and fear. I smiling in my most threatening expression as I neared him and I was aware that Jasper and Emmett were both less than five feet away from him. I could hear his thoughts now and again; there was a deep rasping scream in his head that was not his normal speaking voice. I let the growl I had suppressed the instant that he'd insulted my wife rip from my chest and then looked on in amazement as another voice entered his thoughts.

The second voice was his and it was terrified. For all his bravado and hostility, he was damn near pissing himself as he looked at me and realized that Jasper and Emmett were now directly beside him, his buddies both having backed away with no protest at our approach.

"Just so you know, if you ever insult my wife again, I will rip your tongue from your fucking head. Now," I said to my brothers as each grabbed him hard around the upper arm, " I think its time you leave."

The three of us moved toward the large steel door at the back of the room and the chorus of cheers from the audience grew impossibly louder. I was aware of Bell introducing another song as the door swung shut behind us. I could hear her voice as she sang the beginning notes of "Lies" and I couldn't help but laugh. If the song's harsh sound didn't fit the mood of the show and her rebellion against Sebastian's antics perfectly, the lyrics did.

As we silently led him down the hallway toward the back door of the club, the demonic sound of Dimitri's voice in the song filled the air. She was fucking brilliant. The song was a condemnation of the man gripped tightly in my brother's hands without her having to say anything and the crowd obviously got it. The swell of noise was thunderous as we pushed the door open and stepped into the alley behind the building.

I did not intend to physically hurt the man, but I didn't want him to know that just yet. The confusing duet of voices inside his head both screamed in fear and panic at the situation he'd found himself in. The deeper gravelly voice continually repeated its shouts of the creatures and warnings to "don't let him burn you" while his more natural voice simply spewed a stream of cuss words that fit his twisting movements as he tried to wrench himself away from the steel grasp of my brothers. It was so incredibly confusing to try and listen to two voices at once. I still couldn't understand what was happening inside the mind of the guy but the realization that he was much more disturbed than I'd originally thought crashed over me. The "older" voice was rambling about someone named Mary and how we'd taken her from him when another, more peaceful voice pulled my attention back to the sidewalk we were all standing on.

"Boys," my mother's voice softly called from just a few feet away. We were all stunned at her appearance outside the club and we stood perfectly still for a moment while we all took in her composed posture. "Let him go. We don't want to hurt his other arm, now do we."

She was frightfully controlled. Only her eyes gave away any sign of the incredible anger that flowed through her. Jaz and Em both released his arm but neither stepped away from him. The both grinned wickedly at our mother as she took a step toward Sebastian. He was surrounded by the four of us with no chance of escape and his mind was a whirlwind of scattered disjointed thoughts as he realized it.

"Sebastian, you and I haven't met. I'm Esme. But my name isn't really important. What is important is that I'm Bella's mother-in-law, which also makes me Mom to the three men out here with us."

Sebastian said absolutely nothing but his hands began to shake from a combination of renewed anger and fear of the tiny woman in front of him.

"I need to explain something to you," she continued in her beautiful voice. "You seem to think that Bella is somehow in danger from my youngest son," she said as she smiled warmly at me. "I can assure you that is not the case. My son loves her more than anything else in life and would go to any length the make her safe and happy, including giving his life for her."

I was somewhat confused by her serene tone and calming words. She was trying to reason with an unreasonable man. I was a split second away from interrupting her when she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his chest.

"You, on the other hand, have hurt her on several occasions. You need to understand that if you ever injure or frighten her again, you will have to deal with me." Her hand slid seductively up his chest and into his hair at the base of his neck. With a stunning amount of force, she gripped the hair at the base of his neck harshly and pulled his face within inches of her own before she continued. "And if that happens, you will pray that I turn you over to my sons. Because in their youth, they will deal with you quickly. I will not. If you hurt my daughter again, I will draw out as much pain as possible before I rid the world of your viscous black heart forever. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded very slightly; his eyes fixed on my mother as she smiled at him widely, revealing the unnaturalness of her venomous teeth. She was startling beautiful and absolutely terrifying at the same time. She released her grip on his hair and stepped back and wrapped her arm around my waist.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Now, why don't you do us all a favor and get the fuck out of here," she said quietly to him. He instantly shuddered and then bolted from the alleyway. Jasper and Emmett's laughter echoed off the bricks as they both bent at the waist trying to compose themselves. I was too stunned at her language to even chuckle. I could not remember a single instance in all the time we'd been in each other's life that I'd heard her use that kind of language and I wasn't sure whether to be scared or elated by her threats to the shit that had made Bella's life so difficult.

"Oh shit, Mom, I wish I had that on videotape. No one is ever going to believe that," Emmett sputtered.

"Come on guys, let's get back inside. Edward's going to need to get back on stage soon and I want to see the rest of the show." Her thoughts were perfectly calm as she pulled the door to the club open and the music surrounded us once again. As we walked back toward the main room, I was filled with the need to express my appreciation to the woman that had spent almost a century loving us, even when there wasn't much about us to love.

"Thank you," I said quietly as I pulled her into my side and hugged her.

"Anytime Edward. You and Bella are my children and I would do anything for my children. I hope you know that."

"I love you Esme. I don't say it often enough, but I do. And we are all very lucky to have you."

My brothers surrounded her and nodded their heads in agreement. Jasper leaned down and kissed the back of her head while Emmett leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, my boys. My wonderful boys. I love you guys," she said with a shaky voice. If she'd been able to shed the tears in her voice, I was sure she would have. "Come on, let's get back. I'm sure your father is wondering what we're up to."

Emmett pulled the door open just as "Lies" came to a thrashing end. Bella was on the side of the stage nearest to Dimitri and Jane and they were obviously talking about something. The four of us made our way back toward the small area that had been corded off for my family. Every few steps, someone from the audience would shout out their approval of us removing Sebastian from the room. The crowd obviously disliked the prick as much as we did and loved seeing him taken down a notch. I pulled my mother's chair out for her and looked to the stage as Bella returned to the center microphone.

"You guys feeling adventurous?" she asked the crowd. The response was bordering on painful as they screamed their acceptance of whatever she had in store. "Good. We're going to play one for you that we don't usually do live. But I want to see every head, every hand and every body in the room moving! Let's tear the roof off this mother fucker!" she screamed as the soft tinkling piano began to play and Jane's eerie voice began to call out across the screaming masses.

Holy shit. My wife was almost possessed in her performance tonight. The song I picked out of JP's head left my mouth gaping open. As far as I knew, they'd never played it live and the crowd was going to come unhinged if they pulled it off.

Chapter Notes: Let me hear it guys. Bella's performance is an indicator of what is coming very soon. Just think "frenzied". Any theories on what might be coming up? I'm a little surprised that no one has picked up on the small clues yet but maybe that means I'm doing my job.


	14. Chapter 14Explosions

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**Super big thanks to everyone who voted for EverClear in the Indie Twific Awards. Your support and encouragement mean everything to me.**

**Playlist:**

**The Howling- Within Temptation**

**Lies-Evanescence**

**Bring Me to Life-Evanescence**

**My Immortal-Evanescence**

**Broken-Seether featuring Amy Lee**

Chapter 14-Explosions

BPOV

Apparently painkillers made me loose any sense of caution or fear. Even as I finished "Lies" I still couldn't believe that I had confessed to more than five thousand people what Sebastian had done. Every word I'd said had been true, but still, it was so very out of character for me to start or pick a fight. Encouraging the audience to flip him off had been the icing on the cake. It was a spur of the moment rash decision, but it felt absolutely incredible to see the amount of support in the room.

We had not played "Lies" in more than a year but the circumstances just felt too right to pass it up. When Edward had very confidently, and very sexily I might add, strolled up the center aisle and escorted Sebastian out of the room, the inspiration hit. The opening lines of the song, while written about something completely different, seem much to appropriate to pass up.

You'll never be sure enough You'll never be good enough

I had sung the lines just as Em and Jasper grabbed his skinny arms and drug him out of the room. I knew that they wouldn't hurt him, really. Scare the holy hell out of him, but not physically hurt him. Sebastian was a wild card. He knew that Edward was not human. I didn't know if he knew exactly what he was, but he knew enough to be very dangerous. Why I had decided to provoke him in front of all those people would forever be a mystery.

It was actually Jane that suggested we play "The Howling". As I'd stood and tried to catch my breath while the crowd calmed enough for me to introduce the next song, she'd caught my and Dimitri's attention.

"Bells, let's do it. Let's play 'Howling'. We can pull it off, just feel the energy in this room," she had yelled excitedly from the rise her keyboards sat on.

I looked at Dimitri, who cocked his eyebrow, in question and then smiled. I nodded vigorously. If there was ever a night that we could do the song justice live, this was it. There seemed to be a sixth sense or supernatural presence in the air that had a life of its own. JP either saw or heard Jane and he quickly agreed to the song after cracking his knuckles very dramatically.

"The Howling" was one of the few songs that we had in our line up that JP and I had not written it its entirety. It was the brainchild of Jane. The song had a very different feel to it than any of EverClear's other songs. It was extremely dramatic in its presentation and had an almost overly orchestrated sound to it. The vocals were taxing to say the least. I started the song an octave higher than I normally sang and at several points, I had to push my voice into an even higher range. But Jane's backing vocals were simply stunning. She covered a full four octaves. At times she sang in an unnaturally low voice and at others, her voice soared higher than even mine. But the song was her pride and joy. She had poured over it for months, perfecting each note in a way that I never could. I had to hear the song in my head and then try and find a way to get it out. JP had learned over the years how to interpret my body movements in order to figure out what instrument I was hearing and fill in the gaps when I couldn't express it to him. Jane, on the other hand, sculpted her songs note for note. It was maddening and incredible to watch.

The music was Jane but the lyrics were all mine. For some reason, when I'd first heard the song, I'd been reminded of a walk I'd taken many years ago along the beach in La Push. I'd conned Jacob into telling me the Quileute legends that revealed to me that Edward was a vampire. The main focus of the "scary stories", as Jacob had termed them, was the legend concerning vampires. But another part of the folklore he'd told me was that his tribe had descended from wolves. It was this part of the afternoon that had sprung to mind the first time I'd heard the song. Coupled with the reports of giant wolves that had floated around Forks for several months, the legends had found their way into the lyrics almost subconsciously.

Ah, Jacob. I'd never regretted the decision to leave Forks after Charlie's death except for the pain I knew my leaving had probably caused Jake. He had been such a good friend to me after Edward had left. He'd been the sole light in the blackness that had been my life for those first few months. I'd tried to give him as much as he'd given me emotionally, but it wasn't enough. Jake had wanted my heart along with my friendship but it wasn't mine to give. Whether Edward had wanted it or not, it had been his from the very beginning and I'd felt incredibly guilty that I could not return the obvious feelings that Jake had for me. But once Charlie had died, I didn't have the strength left to try and pretend that I might one day get over Edward. After I lost Charlie, my life in Forks was over. I'd walked away from everything; Jake included, without a second glance. I had thought several times over the years about contacting him, but it never felt right. What did you say to someone that had given you all they had only to have you disappear without so much as a "thank you"?

Jane's ethereal voice as she opened the song pulled my attention back to the crowd and to the daunting task at hand. Just as she started the keyboard that would usher in the body of the song, I saw Edward, Jasper, Emmett and Esme walk back through the steel door they had drug Sebastian through.

I was momentarily confused by the inclusion of Esme in the startling gorgeous group that made their way around the club, much to the delight of the fans. I hadn't realized that she'd left and I had no idea what role she could have played in the scene that I was sure unfolded outside the building. But Edward captivated me as he graciously shook hands with and accepted the praise from the audience. My eyes followed my husband as he made his way back toward the small section of the room that had been reserved for the Cullens and a familiar lustful burn registered in my stomach at the site of him. Jesus, he was beautiful.

The loud guitar and drums that brought us fully into the song demanded my attention just as he pulled the chair out for Esme. I thrashed my head with as much force as I could as the song began its ascent. I sang as powerfully as I ever had. The entire first verse I moved from one side of the stage to the other, trying to get the audience as involved as humanly possible. And it seemed to work. Every time I looked out into the crowd, no matter the direction, it was a virtual sea of thrashing bodies.

I ran up the stairs on the right of the stage as I sang the first chorus. Now that Sebastian was gone, there was nothing preventing me from taking full advantage of the entire stage set up. I made my way around the entire room as the song continued. My throat was burning by the middle of the song, but I couldn't have cared less. I sang harder and higher and more forcefully with every verse. And the tumultuous crowd grew more uncontrolled with each note.

By the time JP played the short interlude, I was standing, yet again, in front of the Cullens. They were all on their feet and they were all dancing in one way or another. Rose and Jasper were actually head banging. I met Edward's eyes for a brief second and I could see the elation shining in their golden depths.

"Come on guys! I want you all on your feet!" I screamed. "Let's bring the fucking house down!"

They complied. The audience went ballistic as the song picked its tempo back up. Every member of the band thrashed their heads in perfect synchronicity with the beat for the entire bridge and the fans screamed praise with such a loud volume that it was difficult to make out the movements of the song. Only when Jane sang the bridge in her high quiet voice did we stop and take in the scene below us. The crowd was ravenous and I absolutely ate it up. I was just about to start back down the stairs when a small cold hand touched the back of my arm. I leaned back slightly so that I could hear what Alice was saying and nearly choked on her words.

"Once you get back to the hotel, don't let Edward stop you. It will be fine. But please get this vision out of my head, it is not an image I want of my brother."

I turned to look at her, my eyes wide as a deer in the headlights. She laughed quickly and gave me a shove toward the stairs. Had we not been in the middle of the show, I would have died from embarrassment at her words. I knew what I had been thinking about for most of the show, but the idea that she had seen it was too traumatizing to handle.

On the other hand….

We finished the song with an unparalleled amount of force behind our performance. In all the years we'd been playing together, I didn't think we'd ever been better. When the last note faded from the humid air, the explosive crowd roared for a full five minutes. I made Jane come out from behind the keyboards to take a well-deserved bow. When the time came for me to leave EverClear, there was no question in my mind that she should take the reins.

"Edward, get that perfect ass back out here," I called out over the noise. Of course, he could hear me and as he made his way down the stairs he rolled his eyes at me before taking his place at the piano. He looked so freaking good in the tight black leather pants and black shirt that I could have easily lost myself in him were it not for the show that we had to finish.

We closed the show the same way that we had every night since Edward has arrived in Atlanta. "Bring Me to Life" was getting tighter and tighter every time we played. Each night, it still came as a small shock when his gorgeous voice rang out over music. The crowd reacted exactly the same way they had during "Howling" only without needing any encouragement to erupt. By the time we got to "My Immortal", Edward was so wrapped up in the show that he pulled me fully into his lap before I'd even sung the first word. The entire song, I was straddling his legs and smiling like a fool. After the bridge, the band joined in and we played the same version that we had played prior to Edward joining the band. The intensity of the night seemed to automatically dictate the flow of the song rather than the emotional lyrics.

I had no idea what had gotten into Edward, but I was thrilled beyond words with his open reactions tonight. He had stunned me into silence when he'd "helped" me strip during "My Last Breath", even going so far as to seductively drag his tongue along the outer rim of my ear in front of the entire club. But as we closed "My Immortal", he had kissed me passionately. That wasn't necessarily new; he'd kissed me at the end of the song every single night he'd been on stage with me. What was new was that he had stood up with me wrapped around him and then laid me back over the top of the piano. This kiss was every bit as involved and heated as if we'd been alone in our hotel room and his body had pressed into mine with an enthralling weight. The catcalls and whistles from the audience, the crew on the sides of the stage and the band were every bit as loud as the applause had been for the most energetic of our songs. Had it not been for the lust coursing through me, I would have been highly mortified at our public display and blushed furiously. As it was, the only thought in my head, other than how I would never tire of the feeling of Edward's tongue in my mouth, was the promise Alice had made me just a little while ago.

The last song of the night was a haze of cheers and claps and heads thrashing through the air. I could barely hear myself above the noise level. We were singing the last round of the chorus when I noticed the people in the audience surging forward with astonishing speed. The black security gates toppled and a mass of bodies rushed toward us. Before I had a chance to panic, Edward scooped me up and was behind the stage. I could hear the creaking of wood and the clashes as metal hit metal. The crowd was so ecstatic that they were literally ripping the stage apart. Seconds after Edward flew the two of us out the door and onto the waiting bus, the rest of the band hurtled their way into the alley. The flashing blue and red lights of the police security whirled around us as we loaded everyone into the protective cover of our home away from home.

"Bella," Edward barked, "whatever you do, do not leave my side. Do you hear me? Under no circumstances are you to be out of my sight."

I could see the fear in his eyes and knew that it was solely for my safty. This had happened to us one or twice before, although it had never been with a crowd this size. The people weren't trying to attack us or physically injure us; they were just so ecstatic in their enthusiasm that they didn't think clearly. The noise from inside the club grew louder and louder as the audience turned into a mob. With a shuddering start, the bus pulled away, carrying us to the safety of the hotel.

"Christ, Bitch, what in the hell got into you tonight," JP cackled as we rounded the corner at an alarming speed. "I have never, in four years, seen you like that."

"I don't know," I answered him honestly. There seemed to be something in the air tonight."

"Well, whatever it was, we need to bottle it and keep a running supply. If it's the magic happy pills that Eddie gave you, we need to turn you into a dope fiend immediately. That had to be the best show we've ever done."

"I wouldn't count on that happening," Edward answered flatly. His arm was very tightly wound around my shoulders and the tension in his body had yet to subside. I lightly rubbed his forearm in an attempt to relax him. He cut his eyes to me and gave me a very quick grin.

"I'll relax when I can't still hear the sounds coming from the club," he said quietly.

"Fair enough." I couldn't really fault him for that one. If I could still hear the shattering of the stage and the calls of the people, I would probably still be wound up myself.

"Shit, I hope they don't damage the instruments," Dimitri grumbled. He had his guitar sitting beside him, but I knew he was worried about his acoustic guitar and amps. He treated his equipment with kid gloves and the prospect of having them mauled was not appealing.

"I'm sure that security won't let it get that bad," I tried to reassure him. I was still looking at Dimitri when I felt something slick slap my left hand hard.

"Ow! Shit," I cried as I looked to see JP waving a Twizzler at me menacingly. He generally had a two-pound bag of the finger-staining licorice on the bus and frequently made a game out of slapping the crap out of people when they weren't expecting it. The thin twisted pieces of candy felt like tiny whips as they cut a path across your skin, but the damage didn't last too long. It was just annoying as hell.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Edward asked, amusement coloring his voice. He watched with slight disgust as JP crammed five of the strips into his mouth at the same time. I'm sure that to him, the sticky candy smelled repulsive.

"That's JP's way of trying to lighten the mood. Moronic? Yes. But effective," I tried to explain to my thoroughly confused husband. "Throw me a couple, Asshole."

He reluctantly tossed a hand full in my direction, which of course, Edward caught mid air. The twenty-minute ride back to the hotel was consumed by an all out Twizzler war. After JP slapped me again, Edward tackled him on the floor of the bus and then held him down while I assaulted him. When we finally made our way back through the lobby, JP had red welts about a quarter of an inch thick covering his arms and neck.

We all said our good nights and then went in opposite directions. I assumed that JP and Dimitri were headed toward the hotel bar, while Jane and Felix seemed to be longing for nothing but their rooms. Edward and I strolled lazily down the hallway toward our suite; both of us still dressed in our stage outfits.

Alice's words at the club were still reverberating in my head. I had thought of almost nothing except the possible meaning behind them for almost two hours and I was anxious to see how the evening progressed.

Once inside the ornate suite, I flopped down onto the couch as Edward disappeared into the bedroom. He reappeared seconds later with a glass of water and the small brown pharmacy bottle. Without a word, he tapped two more pills into his hand and held them out for me.

"Should I be worried that your trying to keep me stoned?"

"No, Baby. But after tonight, I imagine that your wrist is probably singing to you. These should help you sleep."

"But I'm not tired yet."

"Well, they won't knock you out immediately. They take a while to really get into your system. Please, just humor me."

I took the pills and water without any more argument. I had other things on my mind and if this would make him relax, then it was worth the hung-over feeling I would have in the morning. He stood before me and watched as I swallowed a large gulp of water, smiling his approval at me when I placed the empty glass on the end table.

"Edward, come here," I purred in my most seductive voice. Whether or not it came across as seductive, I wasn't sure. But he complied with my wishes and moved to sit next to me on the couch. Before he seated himself, I nodded my head "no" and he looked at me puzzled. I patted my lap with my left hand.

"Bella, I'll hurt you. I weigh a lot more than you do," he said, still oblivious to my intentions.

"Then straddle my lap, Baby." My words seemed to turn on the light bulb in his head, because his eyes darkened noticeably. With the sexiest smirk I'd ever seen on anyone's face, he slowly placed a knee on either side of me and then lowered his ass to my thighs. He kept almost all of his weight off of me and his hands were on either side of my shoulders on the back of the couch, bracing himself.

"Is this what you want, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Mmmm. It's a good start," I said as I slid my left hand up his chest. Coming straight from the stage, I knew that I was covered in sweat. Normally, I would have insisted on going straight to the shower. But this was Edward and my perspiration seemed to act like an aphrodisiac on him. I assumed it had something to do with intensifying my scent, but I honestly didn't care as long as the outcome was what I wanted.

"Can you help me out of my restraints please?" I asked in a shy voice.

There was a low rumble in his chest as he reached for the strap he'd used to secure the sling to my chest. With a small tug, the fabric fell away. Without having to ask, he unhooked the clasp on the sling and pulled it away from my body too. My arm was stiff from being in a stationary position for so long and I moaned my relief at having it freed.

"Anything else, my love?"

"No, just needed my arm freed. But there is something I want." I fumbled with the hem of his tight cotton shirt for just a moment before he realized what I was getting at. He grabbed hem at the back of his neck and slid the shirt over his head. His perfect chest and ripped abdomen took my breath away. He placed his hands on the back of the couch once again and I leaned forward. I placed my lips very softly against his heart. I kissed the silken skin sweetly, while I let my left hand slide up his thigh and over his perfect rear. The soft leather atop the rock hard body underneath was mesmerizing. I slowly rubbed my hand up to the waistband of the pants and then back down to the curve of his cheek. Over and over, I traced the same path, all the while moving my lips and tongue against his chest.

"Oh, God…Bella, what are you doing to me," he panted. The sound was exactly what I craved. I loved to hear him express his pleasure and I knew that I would do anything to elicit as many of those sounds as possible over the next hour. Or two.

I slid my tongue over the impeccably shaped plains of his chest. I could feel him tremble as I made my way across his stomach. I caressed every inch I could reach with intentionally wet open-mouthed kisses and his reaction was more than I'd imagined. I could hear him gasping as I traced the thin line of baby soft hair that disappeared into the waistband of his pants.

I leaned my head back against the back of the couch and stared into his now fully dilated completely black eyes. I could see the need and fire burning in his gaze and my own desire flamed higher. I intentionally tilted my head to the right, tempting him with his favorite expanse of skin, before I spoke.

"You're very possessive tonight, my love. I loved it," I said in my most husky tone. "I love it when you take charge. When you own me."

It worked. He growled loudly as his head sank into the skin of my neck. His tongue licked every available inch and his hips thrust unconsciously against my stomach. He was rock hard and struggling to maintain his control, but was quickly losing the internal battle.

It was now or never.

"Edward, stand up. By the wall Baby."

If my instructions confused him, he didn't let on. He simply rose to his feet and walked the few paces backwards until his back touched the plaster beside the door to our bedroom. He pressed his hands flat, almost as if he were holding the wall steady. I stood up and walked very slowly toward him, undoing the top couple of hooks on the corset I still wore so that he would have enough of a peak at my cleavage to hopefully excite him further. I sensed that the sweat and the leather were having my desired effect, as his breathing became more of shuddering. When I stood just inches in front of him, I placed my hand against his chest once more and stared at him.

"I. Am. Yours," I whispered as I sank to my knees in front of him. I heard his head as he banged it against the wall at me actions and I smiled. He was losing his composure. "Tell me, Baby," I continued as I ran my nose along the soft leather of his groin. "Tell me what you're thinking."

I reached out and pulled the snap of his pants easily. He was still silent except for his labored breathing, but his eyes were fixed on me. I looked up at him from under my lashes as I leaned forward and pulled the clasp of his zipper between my teeth. Without ever breaking eye contact, I lowered the zipper agonizingly slow.

"Oh, shit…Bella. Oh…fuck," he finally panted, his control gone. I noticed that his fingers twitched, as they lay splayed against the wall.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I asked again as I pulled his pants over his sharp hipbones and down. When they were low enough, I reached out and pulled his massive erection free from its confines. I leaned forward again and barely brushed my lips against the tip of his cock.

"Ungh…fuck me," he growled.

"Tell me," I said more urgently as I slid my chin up his length.

"Mine!" he roared. "You are mine…oh God damn," he gasped as I opened my mouth and took his tip between my lips. I swirled my tongue around him and moaned against the sensitive skin, encouraging him to keep going. "Christ, Bella…," he broke off as I inched my mouth further and further around him until his head hit the back of my throat. I swallowed dramatically, partially to relax the muscles and partially to incite him further.

His hands finally left the wall and buried themselves into my hair. He grasped my head and began to control the speed of my movements. It was exactly what I'd been trying to get him to do. His over powering need upon his return this afternoon, coupled with his numerous displays of overt sexuality during the show told me that he needed to feel in control. The tenuous situation we'd found ourselves in had shaken his sense of strength and he needed to regain it.

"Jesus, you are so beautiful Baby," he spoke in his most seductive tone as his hips began to match the movements of his hands. I grazed my teeth against him as he pulled his hips back, knowing that he loved it. As he pushed himself back into my waiting mouth, I sucked in as hard as I could. Over and over he pumped himself into me, a steady stream of mangled curses flying from his mouth. I had just gotten the first taste of his salty sweet essence when he began to move harder against me.

"Mine, God damn it. Your heart…your body…your soul. Mine. I want…want the whole fucking world to know it." His voice had turned primal and guttural as he spoke and it did nothing but encourage me to pleasure him with more force.

I wrapped my left arm around his hips and grabbed his bare ass with all the strength I had. I pulled him into me so harshly that I rammed his pelvic bone against my nose. But the sensations were incredible. I moaned an almost continuous song as I forced him to fuck my mouth with abandon.

"Oh, God…uh…ungh…that's it Baby. Harder…oh, God harder Baby." He was almost shouting at that point. His lust had consumed him and he had allowed himself to get lost in the sensations. I bared my teeth again and all but bit down on him as he thrust into me again and again.

"You are so fucking perfect on your knees before me, Baby. Shit…more…don't stop…you have to…," he broke off as I heard him knock his head against the wall again. I felt him swell ever so slightly in my mouth and I knew that he was very near his orgasm. I also knew that he was on the verge of trying to make me stop before he came and I would have none of that. I wanted him. All of him. Everything he had to give me, I wanted.

I wrapped my arm around him as fully as possible as he slowed his pace. I moaned louder against him, making sure he felt the vibrations deep within his groin. As I felt his body tense, I forced him all the way down my throat and held him there for dear life. I pushed my forehead into his skin and sucked with as much force as I could.

It worked. In the next instant, I felt the icy jets of his explosion shoot down my throat. Over and over, he came in wave after wave. His hands tightened to the point of pain in my hair and he pushed my head against him. The sounds ripping from his mouth were unrecognizable as anything but animalistic grunts and every muscle in his body shook.

It was the sexiest sight I'd ever seen.

As the final wave of his orgasm subsided, his hands relaxed against my hair. His knees began to buckle and soon he was sliding down the wall ridiculously slowly. I followed his movements by bending at the waist when he'd sunk too low for me to reach. I continued my ministrations the entire time we shifted positions. Only now, I was being very gentle and calm as I slowly inched him out of my mouth. I licked his head several times, making sure to claim every drop of his come before I placed a soft kiss at the very tip.

I moved to sit back on my heels, but he pulled my into his still naked lap too quickly for me discern the motion. His hands were on either side of my face and he was looking intently at me. The thoughts clashing in his head could not have been any clearer if I'd been the mind reader.

"Edward, I'm fine. I feel fine. No burning, no pain," I said as I smiled at him. "And yes, I have wanted to do that for a very long time, so don't you dare feel guilty about it."

He laughed. A loud, blissful, happy ringing. He pulled me into his chest and hugged me tightly.

"Holy God, what did I ever do to deserve you, Bella Cullen? Every time I think you can't possibly be more perfect, you prove me wrong," he laughed into my hair. I felt him kiss the top of my head and he began to rock us from side to side. "How did you know?"

I pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were still darker than normal, but much closer to their usual gold. His face was relaxed and open. There was real curiosity there, but no trace of pain or regret.

"I know my husband." I answered simply. " It's my job to know you," I said as I leaned my head up and kissed him. "And, that was almost as much for me as it was for you," I added bashfully.

"I truly am the luckiest man on the planet. I love you," he said with reverence in his voice.

"As I love you."

I wiggled in his lap, causing another round of laughter. We were both well aware that he was still naked underneath me and was evidently already recuperating from our activities. I stretched my back and rolled my neck, the effects of the overzealous performance making themselves known.

"Stiff?" he asked in an overly concerned voice as he helped me stand and then followed my lead. I couldn't help but watch intently as he pulled his pants back over his hips, zipping them but not fastening the snap.

"Yeah, long day. I think a hot shower before bed might be needed."

"That's probably a good idea. Do you need anything? Food or something to drink?"

"No, I'm okay. But thank you," I called over my shoulder as I padded toward the huge bathroom.

I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, a feat not easily accomplished with only one hand, when I heard the bathroom door open. The cold air that rushed in mixed with the steam to create a dizzying effect. I reached out to steady myself against the tiles when I heard Edward groan.

"Jesus, I could live in here," he said under his breath. "You okay? The pills aren't making you dizzy are they?" he asked as he noticed my posture through the smoky glass doors of the shower.

"No, not dizzy, just tired," I answered through a yawn as I shut off the water. Before the last drop had hit the tub below me, the door had been pulled back and he was waiting with a giant towel stretched out in his arms.

I leaned heavily against him as he wrapped me up and held me close to his chest. My hair dripped down my back, causing my skin to break out in shivers. He laughed softly before reaching for another one and wrapping my hair in it. He pulled me to the counter and lifted me up until I was sitting on the edge of the marble slab with my back to the steamed mirror.

I was tired enough to let him baby me a little and he really seemed to enjoy it. So softly I almost couldn't feel his hands, he combed the tangles from my hair. He would occasionally lean forward and kiss my temple or my nose as he worked his way through the massive amount of hair.

"I think its about time to cut that," I said as he pulled a long strand over my shoulder and it fell into my lap. When it was wet, my hair felt like it weighed a ton and it was getting tiresome to deal with, even if it did look good on stage.

"Not too short, I love your hair. Can I ask you something?" he said and he very obviously avoided my eyes. He almost looked…embarrassed.

"Anything."

"What possessed you to…to… to let me…," he trailed off, clearly not comfortable with his question. It was so rare for him to be uncomfortable with anything that I couldn't help but have a little fun with him.

"To let you fuck my mouth?" I supplied and his eyes widened to a comical width momentarily. I laughed at his shock for a moment before I answered him. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've always wanted to do that, Edward. I wasn't lying when I said it was as much for me as for you. But beyond that, you needed to release your fears. And what better way?" I finished brightly even though I could feel the strange heavy feeling settling over my medicated body.

"But how did you know the venom wouldn't…Oh, God. Alice saw didn't she?" He was clearly disturbed by the thought of his sister "seeing" what we'd been up to.

I just nodded with a smirk on my face. But the effect was ruined by the wide yawn that broke through only seconds into his laughter.

"Bed time, Sweetheart," he whispered as he lifted me into his arms and walked to the bedroom. He pulled the black tee shirt he'd worn all night off his body and handed it to me. He didn't even protest anymore when I took his clothes to sleep in. He actually seemed to prefer his clothes to slinky lingerie for my sleep attire. He rifled through my bag and tossed a pair of his cotton boxers onto the bed for me as well.

After dressing quickly, I fell into the large bed that had been turned down for us while we were at the club. He slid in next to me, but did not get under the covers. I reached out for the small lamp on the bedside table, almost knocking my cell phone off in my clumsy attempt to reach the small knob.

He stroked my face very softly once I had settled into the mattress in the complete darkness and he hummed a beautiful but unfamiliar tune very quietly.

"Once you're asleep, I'm going to Jasper and Alice's room for a while. There is some information I need to look over and I don't want to disturb you while you sleep, Baby."

"Okay," I mumbled as I fell closer and closer to the sweet oblivion nestled in the blankets and my husband's love. "What information?"

"Don't worry about it tonight, we'll talk about it tomorrow. Sleep Baby. Dream for me," he said as he kissed me softly.

"Dream," yawn, "about you. Always."

"I love you more than life Bella."

I was asleep before I could respond.

I jolted upright in the bed in what felt like just a little while later. A bizarrely familiar song playing from somewhere in the distance had interrupted the hazy image of Edward and I lying side by side on a beach. The room was still completely black and the air was still as I slowly emerged from the deep slumber of just seconds before. Edward wasn't there and for just a moment, I panicked before I remembered he was with Jasper two floors above me. The calm that washed over me was interrupted by a loud burst of music from very near me.

We gonna get funky. Clap, clap, clap you hands…

Jesus. Emmett. The annoying song playing from the small speaker on my cell phone was not only the song that had cut through my dream but also the newest ring tone that Emmett had set for himself after the impromptu dance on the bus last week.

"I may have to kill him," I mumbled to myself as I flipped on the light and grabbed the phone. I rubbed my sleep filled eyes with the back of my hand for a second before squinting at the small screen. He'd sent me a text message.

That was a little odd, but then again, this was Emmett. He generally just called, but maybe he didn't want Edward or Rose to know that he was interrupting my sleep at, crap four in the morning.

**Bells, get out of the room now. 8****th**** floor filled with smoke. We'll meet you downstairs. Don't wait for us, you go now! E**

Shit! My hazy senses sprang to life at the text. In the same second, I caught the faint but distinctive smell of something burning. It was very much like the smell that clung to the air after the first fire of the winter in Washington. I threw the comforter back and bolted out of the bed. I slid my feet into the first pair of shoes, flip-flops thankfully, that my hands found in my bag.

My warning bells were kicking into overdrive as I tore through the living room of the suite; my phone still clutched in my right hand. Fire. Fire was the only thing in the world that posed any threat to Edward. I had to make sure he was okay. But he'd kill me if I didn't get downstairs quickly. Edward could simply leap out of the window to escape if necessary. I, on the other hand, could not. So I would follow my brother's instructions and then find Edward.

I threw the door open with a loud bang against the wall. I didn't have time to take but one step before the gravity of my mistake engulfed me. I opened my mouth to scream but the sound didn't have a chance to leave my lungs before the explosion of pain tore across my cheek and the world went black.

The last thought I registered before the pain was the image of Sebastian standing in the doorway, his plaster cast encased arm drawn back high above his head and his hand closed in a fist.

Chapter Notes: I told you guys from the beginning this would be more drama filled than angsty. What do you think? Any guesses on what everyone's favorite psychopath is up to? You know what I'm looking for. Make me purr.


	15. Chapter 15Burning

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**Are we all still clinging to the edge of our seats? I know it was kind of evil to leave you with such a cliffie, but hey, I warned you this was drama. This is the chapter that a lot of you have been waiting for and guessing at. Hope you enjoy.**

**I can't wait to hear what you think.**

**The lines in Italics are the property of the great SM and are taken directly from Twilight.**

Chapter 15-Burning

EPOV

I stood in the door of our bedroom, my right shoulder leaning against the doorjamb and my arms folded across my chest. I was still as a statue as I stared through the darkness at the tiny figure in the enormous king sized bed in front of me. She looked almost child-like curled in the middle of the oversized mattress. Her hair was fanned half way across large expanse of sheets in soft flowing waves and her hands were curled underneath her chin. Two thoughts ran in a continuous loop through my brain as I deeply inhaled the unique aroma that was my wife.

She was exquisite.

She was mine.

I had not intended to spend the better part of an hour watching her sleep. She'd fallen asleep quite literally mid-sentence. I knew her exhaustion had to be more than her body could withstand any longer. Her sheer perseverance and determination were enough to make anyone, human or immortal, fall at her feet in awe. Any one of the incidents of the day; the attack earlier in the afternoon, the broken wrist, our fight or the most incredible performance of her career would have been enough to wear out a lesser person. But the idea that she had fought her way through all of them in a single day was daunting. Add to that the medication and the added stress of the confrontation at the club and it became simply unimaginable that she had any energy left by the time we'd arrived back at the hotel.

That's why I'd been so stunned at her seduction. She had not only managed to zero in on the one event that had been the front runner of my Bella fantasies for years, but she had managed to do it while comforting me. She'd known, with a single look into my eyes, what I'd needed even when I hadn't had a clue. Exhausted and injured, she'd placed me and my pathetic emotional state ahead of herself and she'd done it in a way that I hadn't even realized what was happening until we were finished. The fact that the act was the singularly most erotic thing I'd ever witnessed only added to the phenomenon that was my wife.

I wished, not for the first time, that I had the words to accurately convey everything that she was to me. She was the one person that knew and accepted me with my innumerable flaws. She was the truest of friends, the most compassionate of caregivers and the most generous soul I'd ever known. She was the instrument to the musician in me and the passionate lover I'd long ago given up on ever finding. She wasn't the love of my life; her love was the reason for my life. Until Bella, I'd struggled with the concept of God and the existence of kindred souls. But a single look into her eyes or a single smile lay to rest any doubts that I was created solely for the purpose of loving her by a higher power than I'd ever understand.

A light tap at the door pulled me reluctantly from the vision before me. I knew by scent alone that it was Jasper but I stopped just short of the door when I realized that he was blocking his thoughts from me. Of the entire family, Jasper was the one that rarely, if ever, shielded his mind from me. Given the events of the day and what was on the docket for our evening, my senses pricked at his worrisome behavior.

I opened the door and the sight of my brother shocked me. Jasper looked tired, almost haggard, not an easy feat for someone whose appearance never changed. Despite that fact that we had spent the previous two days feeding, his eyes seemed rimmed in shadow and his brows were drawn together in a tight line.

"Can I talk to you for a second before we go back upstairs?" my brother asked in a low voice, thick with his Southern twang. Experience had taught me that the more stress or fear Jasper felt the more pronounced his accent became.

"Of course. Jaz, what's wrong? You don't look so good."

He strode into the living room very quickly; his eyes fixed on the ground. His mind was still blank, save for the list of ancient military generals that he was reciting in order of their time periods. I stood by the doorway and watched him pace for a moment; my anxiety rising with each impatient step he took. I'd just opened my mouth to ask him what was going on when Bella's soft voice called out from the bedroom, pulling both our heads in her direction as if connected by puppet strings.

"Mmm…sand feels so… soft," she whispered, her eyes still firmly closed. She shifted onto her side, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth before she continued. "Edward…so beautiful…like diamonds."

We both chuckled as we stood in the doorway and listened to her sleep talking. In the weeks since we'd been reunited, she hadn't spoken nearly as much as she had when she was younger, but what she said seemed to be more entertaining. The one constant that had carried over through the years was the repeated murmur of my name. And now, just as it had then, it filled my heart with adoration.

"I think someone is dreaming of lying on a beach with you, Edward," Jasper said softly, the tension in his face momentarily lifting as he watched his youngest sister loose herself in a world that we could only imagine. "You should take her to the island for a while after y'all finish the tour."

"I'd already thought about asking Esme if we could use it, but I guess this confirms it. My wife apparently needs some down time in the sand."

I crossed the room and readjusted the covers back over her body and pressed my lips against the top of her head. Jasper smiled as I looked at her a moment longer before turning to leave the room.

"I'd actually thought about calling you guys and postponing our info session until tomorrow. I'm not crazy about leaving her alone after what happened tonight," I confessed as Jaz sank heavily onto the couch.

"Yeah, I thought you might, so I asked Ali if she saw anything with the creep tonight. He's apparently drinking himself into a coma in his room. He and Jack Daniels are aquatinted on an intimate basis. But she saw nothing else from him tonight and I really think that we need to do this now." His voice had shifted from reassuring to burdened on the last sentence and his mind was once again filled with silence.

"Jasper, what is going on that you aren't telling me?"

"Ali. Edward, there is something going on with Alice. And it's related to Sebastian."

My mind flew at the possibilities. Who the fuck was this guy that he could disrupt all our lives with his mere presence. And what in the hell could he have to do with Alice. My anger roared almost as loudly at the thought of him harassing my favorite sister as it did when I thought of him hurting my wife. Alice and I had always been exceptionally close and I held her as dear to my heart as Jasper did, only in a very different way.

"Tonight," he continued without acknowledging my rage, "when he called out to Bella, I could pinpoint the exact moment that Alice saw him. I felt her emotions from across the room."

"Wait! You could feel her that far away in a room with five thousand other people?" I nearly shouted as I recalled just how great a distance, not to mention how many people had separated Jasper from his wife at the precise moment he was referring to. This was a revelation to me. I'd always known that Jasper's gift was enormous, much more powerful than most people knew, but the idea that he could pinpoint a single emotion in such a cyclone of feelings was huge.

"I can. Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yeah it does. How do you…"

"Can you smell Bella when you're in a club? Can you smell her across the room?"

I only thought for a fraction of a second about his question. The answer was yes, I could. Aside from my love for her, her scent was the most potent of her features for me. A single whiff of her smell could lead me directly to her, regardless of the distractions that mixed with it.

"Emotions are the same for me as Bella's scent is for you," he answered calmly, my expression apparently giving away the answer to his previous question. "I can pick up on what Alice is feeling from an incredible distance. It's proven to be a useful trick several times," he chuckled humorlessly.

"Okay, so tell me about what she felt when she saw him."

"The greatest emotion was anger. Just like the rest of the family. But her secondary emotion is what has me concerned," he finished with one of the gravest expressions I'd ever seen him wear. "It was recognition, Edward. She knows him from somewhere. We talked about it when we got back to the room. She feels a very "de ja vu" sense when she sees him, but she has no conscious memory of every meeting him before tonight."

If blood had run through my veins, it would have turned ice cold at his words. Every vampire had perfect recall of every event they'd experienced and everyone they'd met from the moment they had awoken from their change. The fact that Alice knew him but didn't know where from was revolutionary. It changed the entire situation dramatically.

"There's more," he continued as I struggled to comprehend what this could possibly mean. "She's had visions all night long, but they aren't like her images of the future. Her eyes remain focused and she's aware of her surroundings, but she's been getting very still and stiff as they hit her. And she won't tell me what they are about. Edward, she's never kept her visions from me. Fuck, I knew before you did that you and Bella would kiss that day after you took her to the meadow. But this is different. And honestly, it scares me."

It scared me too. He was right, Alice had never kept her visions from him and the fact that she was doing so was disturbing. He was also right, that we had to dissect the information from Jenks right then. It could not wait, no matter how wrong it felt to leave Bella's side. Guilt and anger washed over me at the thought of leaving my vulnerable wife alone in the room but it was quickly stifled, as if someone had thrown a blanket over the slow burning fire.

"I know you don't want to leave, but I need your help with this Edward. I wouldn't ask you to leave her if I thought there was any other way to figure out what it all means," my brother plead with me. "Besides, Chip and Marcus are right across the hall if she needs something." I was unsure if his last words were meant to convince himself or me.

I nodded my head as I rose from my spot on the couch. I looked in on Bella once more before I followed Jasper out of the room. I pulled the door shut behind me, checking the lock four times before I could make my hand release the door handle. The walk down the hallway toward the elevator seemed to feel very much like a man being led to the guillotine, but I forced myself to keep my feet moving. My family needed me, needed my gift to solve the puzzle that was Sebastian Steele and I owed them the loyalty they'd shown me for years.

I was wholly unprepared for the sight that met me when I stepped into the suite that Alice and Jasper occupied on the ninth floor. Alice was sitting on the very edge of the couch, her feet tucked underneath her with her twig like arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were pitch black and she rocked her body back and forth in very slow movements. I crossed the room and knelt down in front of my favorite sibling. It took a full five seconds before she even acknowledged I was there. When her eyes did meet mine, they were filled with an emotion I could not register.

"Not yet, Edward," she squeaked out in a pitiful voice. "We'll talk later, but I need to figure out what I'm seeing first."

The sight of her so unsure and so obviously frightened wrenched my heart. I simply nodded and kissed her forehead very lightly. I joined Jasper by the large window of the room and took a seat in an oversized chair. On a coffee table that he had pulled over in front of us lay three separate folders of information regarding Sebastian. Without a word, we each stretched a hand out to retrieve the packets and settled into the chairs while we tried to dissect the man that was reeking havoc on all our lives.

The folder I'd picked up contained family background information. It began with the same data concerning Sebastian's arrest record and his string of destruction across the country. But the deeper into the file I got, the more it documented his family's history.

His mother had left his father and him at the age of two. There were several reports of the authorities being called to the home for complaints of abuse against the woman in the residence. Three days after a particularly nasty attack, she had simply disappeared. It seemed to the world that she had packed her belongings and melted into the marshy land of the South Carolina low country. But I noticed immediately that aside from a single reported sighting of the woman in Greenville, South Carolina two years later, not a single trace of the woman had ever turned up. She had never used a credit card, never opened a bank account, hell, she'd never done anything that involved her social security number after she disappeared. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I realized that the only logical explanation of the complete lack of information on the mother was that the woman had died. It was the only feasible excuse for absolutely no trace of her to ever have been found.

His father had been a military man at an early age. He'd enlisted in the Army after dropping out of high school in his senior year and has spent two tours in Vietnam. He'd been a mediocre soldier, never earning any type of high praise but never showing any serious disciplinary problems either. He'd signed up for a third tour but was abruptly discharged on a medical condition before he could return. There was little to no information about his time in Vietnam, but all indications were that he'd experienced a dramatic shift in his personality during this time. Upon his discharge, he'd racked up a string of progressively more volatile and violent arrests, just as his son would do two decades later. There were several for assault, two driving under the influence charges and one charge of attempted murder that had ended in a mistrial. His father had been an alcoholic and probably a drug addict as well. There was a long list of medical problems that all seemed to be treated with high powered painkillers and sedatives. At the age of 49, he'd driven his car into the concrete barrier that separated the lanes of an interstate and was killed on impact.

Sebastian had been a teenager when his father died and was left in the custody of his grandfather. The elder Steele had lived with his son and grandson for years. He, too, had a more than colorful background. Only his was infinitely more disturbing than either his son or his grandson. There were several pages of documentation detailing multiple commitments, both voluntary and involuntary, to state mental institutions. The long history of serious mental illness went back more than seventy years. He'd been committed in seven different states and held for periods that ranged from a couple of weeks to several years.

The diagnoses were varied, but the overwhelmingly prominent word in the pages was "schizophrenia". There were detailed accounts of extreme paranoia, warped perceptions of the realities surrounding him and, most disturbing of all, auditory hallucinations. Over the years, he'd been treated with every form of therapy known to the medical profession and none had seemed to lessen his symptoms significantly. The man had suffered at the hands of his own mind for almost as long as he'd walked the earth, but he'd imparted that suffering on those around him in turn.

I looked up from the file in my lap to see Jasper pouring over his own information. I pinched the bridge of my nose out of habit and frustration, trying to calm my own shaky nerves. Alice had not moved an inch from her coiled position on the couch except to continue to rock herself back and forth. It killed me to see her so distraught and I was just about to return to my reading when a thought occurred to me that was so enormous and obvious that I let out an audible gasp.

"What?" Jasper asked as he looked up in shock at me, his own file perched precariously on the edge of his knee.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Jasper. Sebastian is schizophrenic. How did I miss that," I groaned as the veracity of the statement sank in. "That has to be the explanation behind his thoughts."

I went on to explain to my brother the bizarre phenomenon of the dual voices in Sebastian's head. With every sentence, Jasper became more and more motionless, not even breathing when I relayed the thoughts of "the creatures" that had swirled in his head earlier tonight. I also thought I knew who Sebastian's hallucinations were. He was hearing the voice of his own grandfather in his head, no doubt a product of growing up in such a fucked up environment. The guy never had a chance. Between the genetic predisposition of his genealogy and the horrid circumstances of his everyday life, he was almost destined to be a societal nightmare. A small flicker of pity flashed through me at the thought of someone living such a painful and frightening life, but it burned out quickly as I thought of my wife's arm.

"How far back does Grandpa's history of institutionalization go?" Jaz asked me, pulling me from my revelations.

I flipped back through the pages until I found the earliest documentation in the file, not realizing that the repercussions that the next ten minutes would usher in.

"Um, let's see. The first commitment occurred in 1926, when he was a very young teenager. He was placed in Smith Grove State Hospital in Maryland after an arrest for public disorderly conduct. He spent…"

"Where?" Alice's tiny whisper of a voice cut into my recitation.

"Smith Grove State Hospital," I repeated. There was a heartbeat of silence before the quiet room was thrown into chaos with the agonizing scream of my sister.

Her hands grabbed at her inky black hair and pulled with an alarming amount of force as she sobbed. Jasper and I were both at her side, but she seemed unaware of our presence as she bellowed over and over again. Her eyes were shut tight and she was muttering to herself at such a rapid pace that I could only make out a few of the words.

"Smith Grove…Dr. Wade…attacked…James!" she wailed into the air. Her last word immediately made my body tense and the venom in my system flood my mouth.

Jasper gathered her tiny frame into his arms and held her tightly as she continued to repeat the same words again and again. She was absolutely hysterical and nothing that Jasper did calmed her even slightly.

"Shhh, Ali, Honey. It's okay, I've got you," he whispered desperately into her hair as he rubbed her back. "Talk to me, Ali. Please." My brother was almost to the point of hysterics himself, whether from feeling her emotions or from his owns panic, I didn't know. What I did know was that something was monumentally wrong and I felt that the meaning behind it all was just beyond my reach.

A full half-hour later, Alice finally calmed enough to speak coherently. Her voice was raw and painful to hear when she finally began to slow her speech enough for us to understand. The images in her thoughts were profound and painful but uncanny in their recollection, given what they were.

Alice was being flooded with human memories.

The contrasting appearance of the sister I'd known and loved compared to the frail being in her memories was unnerving. Her skin, always pale as a vampire, had a waxy sallow quality that seemed to scream sickness. Her thin frame was gaunt and drawn with sharp points where her collarbones protruded. But her eyes were the most upsetting. They were a brilliant shade of crystalline blue, but the were sunk so far into her face that she seemed to be on the verge of death. Most troubling, though, was the defeated resigned look that her eyes held. Taking in her overall appearance, it was nothing short of amazing that she had survived her human life.

"That's why I recognize him," she began. "I don't know Sebastian, but I knew his grandfather. Sebastian looks like him." She visibly shuddered in Jasper's arms as her memories continued to assault her, but her voice was slightly more confident as she let her husband comfort her. "I know him from Smith Grove. I was there with him."

At her words, another recollection impaled itself into Alice's memory. It was a filthy cinder block room with a small cot and nothing else. She was curled into as small a form as possible on the disgusting mattress of the bed. She was shaking from head to toe and seemed to be sweating. She made no sound, but her mouth opened sporadically as if she wished to cry out but didn't have the strength. The vision was enough to make my immortal body beg for tears.

"We were in the same ward. The same doctor treated us for our illnesses. The doctor was young and kind. Dr. Wade tried very hard to help me with my visions, but they are a part of me and could never be snuffed out. When he realized that my precognition wasn't something to be 'treated', he tried to make my life as comfortable as possible. He would take me out for walks around the grounds of Smith Grove or bring me extra food from the kitchens. He tried to take care of me as much as he could in the detestable place."

"Ali, was Dr. Wade the…" Jasper trailed off.

"The doctor that changed me? Yes. It was during one of the walks that we encountered James."

Another, much more vivid memory flashed through her mind and it was a memory I shared with her. The two of us sat side by side in the living room of our home in Forks watching a video shot on a grainy handheld camera. Bella lay on the hardwood floor of the dance studio, her face twisted in pain. James casually strolled into the frame of the video, his voice mocking and dripping with the victory he was sure was in his grasp.

"_It happened once, oh ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me. You see the vampire that was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked."_

"_I will never understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans. And as soon as he freed her, he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain. Poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long…"_

"_A hundred years earlier, she'd have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the 1920's, it was the asylum and shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire. And there was no reason for me to touch her then."_

_He sighed dramatically before continuing._

"_I destroyed the old one in vengeance."_

"_Alice," my young broken Bella whispered._

"_Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing."_

"James saw us on the grounds and that's when he made his decision to attack me. I told Dr. Wade what I'd seen that night as he brought me dinner. He placed me in the room across from Sebastian's grandfather because it was the safest wing of the asylum. For days we stayed there, sometimes with Dr. Wade joining us, but most of the time alone. He told me that when we got out, he was going to 'court' me properly. I remember that I liked the way he said my name. Only he called me Mary. No one else had ever called me by my first name. It made me feel grown up, normal."

Her eyes had taken on a softer feel than at any other point of the night and I could see Jasper visibly relax as she calmed further. His hands rubbed gentle strokes along her forearms as she continued her story and my own hands ached to touch Bella. The memory of that atrocious night in Phoenix had only intensified the overwhelming feeling I had that I should not have left her.

"After a week of waiting, he came. Dr. Wade told me that James had killed a guard and that he needed to make me safe. I remember telling the sweet man across from me that it would all be okay and then everything goes black," she finished somberly. It wasn't hard to fill in the blanks. Dr. Wade's version of keeping her safe had been to change her and he had apparently done it in the very cell she'd spent her last remaining week as a human. When the burning had begun, Grandpa had been right across the hallway, listening and probably watching. At some point, James had made it into the asylum and deduced what was happening. His uncontrollable rage had prompted him to kill the older vampire with the kind heart, leaving Alice alone to figure out her new life. It was a true testament to her own character that she had not awoken and immediately fed from the man that had witnessed her death and rebirth.

It was also not difficult to figure out why the man that had sired the warped family was never taken seriously when he began to rail about "Mary burning" or "the creatures". He spent his lifetime battling with a mental illness that was defined by hallucinations. Everyone, his own family included, assumed that his accusations were nothing more than another manifestation of the illness.

When Sebastian's own illness began to show it symptoms, he apparently had latched on to the same schewed reality that his grandfather had. Only, it was the truth. After a lifetime of hearing the story of losing his Mary, Sebastian had immediately focused on Bella's scar as exactly what it was. I didn't think he knew of James though. Nothing in his words or his thoughts ever indicated recognition of the vampire that my brothers had killed while I drank the blood of my love in an attempt to save her from the fate that I, at the time, found so abhorrent. No, Sebastian's mind had focused on someone else to hold responsible for his perceived danger to Bella.

Me.

"Jesus, Ali. I'm so sorry," I said as I let out my breath in a long push. "I don't know…"

"Edward, it's nothing to apologize for. It's better to know what we're dealing with. But we are going to…"

Her eyes went blank and flat as her vision overtook her. While staring into her elfin face, I smelled the distinct scent of burning fabric. It was subtle but defined. I was so distracted from the smell of burning polyester and alcohol and its complete displacement in the luxury hotel that I missed the vision that quickly passed through my sister's mind.

"Shit, that stinks," Jasper laughed out. But the look on Alice's face told me she found nothing humorous about the smell.

"Edward," she said in a rush. "It's Sebastian. He's enraged. He threw his bottle across the room and it broke the television. The sparks hit the liquor and his bed is on fire."

Immediately, I went into protector mode. I had to get to Bella. An enraged nut case and a fire were a combination that was not to be taken lightly.

"I knew I shouldn't have left her," I growled as I flew across the room toward the door. I yanked it open with enough force to damage the hinges in the wall but didn't stop to survey the destruction. My first thought was to simply claw my way through the two floors that separated us, but Alice put a stop to that.

"Edward! Don't you dare. Use the stairs," she barked as we all made our way down the hall at anything but human speed.

When I wrenched the door to the sixth floor open, all was quiet and still. I ran, with my brother and sister hot on my heels to the flimsy wooden door that protected my wife. But as I reached it, I stopped dead in my tracks.

The door was ajar by just a couple of inches. But more concerning, the faint smell of her sweet blood hung in the air. My eyes were drawn to several small drops of the crimson ambrosia that still clung wetly to the carpet. There was also a small black object that was wedged into the space between the door and the wall, propping the door open.

I pushed the door open and flew into the suite. Her scent was very fresh but not concentrated enough for her to be inside the room.

She was gone.

"Edward!" Alice yelled as I turned, panic overtaking me, and looked into the face of my sister. In her hand was the black object that had been wedged in the door. She held it out to me silently.

It was Bella's phone. The display window lit as I flipped the cover open to reveal a text from Emmett. As I read the message, I felt an even more pronounced sense of dread seep into my muscles. Something wasn't right.

The alarms of the hotels began to wail at that precise moment. The sounds of sleepy travelers frantically stirring in their rooms filled my ears and added to the overwhelming dread that had filled me.

"Edward, maybe she's downstairs. Let's go check before you panic," Jasper said smoothly, obviously trying to calm my out of control emotions.

Without a word, I turned and headed back to the stairwell, human constraints now firmly placed around us by the presence of the other guest that filled the narrow corridor. The sirens echoed off the concrete wall, making an almost intolerable ringing sound. When at last we stepped into the large open expanse of the lobby, my eyes instantly began to search for my wife. But the only people they found were the rest of our family. I moved toward my mother and father, who stood beside Emmett and Rose far away from the other people the filled the lobby.

"Please, God, tell me Bella is with you," I all but shouted at Emmett as we neared.

"No, bro. I thought you'd have her," he answered with a serious scowl on his face.

Alice handed him the small phone and we all watched as he read the text that had supposedly come from him. As Carlisle and Esme read over his shoulder, the intense concern that I knew colored my face was duplicated on theirs.

"Ed, I dropped my phone yesterday at the sound check. I didn't go get it because I knew I needed to see about Bells arm. Who…" he trailed off as we all understood what had happened.

In the craze of yesterday, Sebastian had picked up Emmett's phone. The very same phone that had sent the message urging her to leave the safety of her room under the guise of someone who loved her. It was not very different from the ruse that James had used to lure her away from her protectors in Phoenix all those years ago.

"Edward? Son, breathe," my mother tried to calm me. I hadn't realized that I had fallen back against the wall and was slowly sinking to the ground. I grasped my head in my hands and pulled at my hair just slightly shy of hard enough to pull it from the roots. The broken sob that was trying to escape my lips was interrupted by Bella's phone ringing. In any other circumstance, her Claire de Lune ring tone would have made me smile. But under the present situation, the notes made my skin crawl.

"Sebastian?" I asked into the tiny mouthpiece.

"Quick aren't cha, Asshole," his ominous twang goaded me.

"If you touch…"

"Yeah, you've already read that line to me. Shut the fuck up and listen."

I kept silent waiting for him to continue.

"See you can show some manners. Mommy Dearest seems to think that you would, how did she term it, or yeah… 'Lay down your life for her'. Well, I think its time we test that theory. You have one shot to make this all better."

"I want to talk to Bella," I rasped as the fear began to replace the anger in my body.

"Bitch is really clumsy. She fell into my fist and is napping right now, but she'll wake up soon enough. Find yourself a car and get into it. Head toward the club that you decided to humiliate me at tonight. When you're on your way, I'll call you back."

"Sebastian, please…" I moaned pitifully into the speaker.

"Please, my fucking ass. You play this my way or your Bitch pays the price. Got it? And Eddie, if your dear family comes with you, I promise you'll see more of her blood than you ever imagined and it won't be in a wine glass for you to savor. You have fifteen minutes to get on the road, I suggest you start looking for a ride."

His maniacal laughter died out as he shut the phone and the line went dead. I couldn't move for a split second. My family had obviously heard both sides of the conversations and their thoughts raged in a thousand different directions. When at last I could function, I tore from the now very crowded room without a second glance. The calls from my family went unanswered, as did the shouts from the valet that I pulled harshly from the vehicle he was pulling away from the curb to make room for the fire truck that I could hear screaming in the distance.

**Chapter Notes: Dr. Wade and Smith Grove State Hospital were both real. Dr. Wade was an exceptionally young doctor that supervised the extreme cases as Smith Grove in the 1920's. He died very suddenly, and without explanation, in 1927. This doesn't exactly fit with canon story lines, but I thought the coincidence was too good to pass up using. **

**You've all been trying to figure out what the connection was. Only a couple of you actually got close, so congrats to you guys. Let me know what you think. I'm dying to hear what you guys thought of my little plot twist. C ya on Tuesday.**


	16. Chapter 16 Death Warrants

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**I am so sorry about the delay on this chapter. I had intended to get this to you this past Tuesday but I wasn't happy with how it flowed. I figured ya'll would rather wait a little longer than get a half-assed chapter. I hope I was right.**

**This one's a doozie. Hold on tight, the ride gets bumpy. I can't wait to see what you think. **

**Special thanks to Tracie, Shannon, Michelle and Jess for the sweet emails encouraging me. You guys have turned into such wonderful friends and I consider myself lucky to have you out there cheering for me.**

Chapter 16-Death Warrants

BPOV

Oh, Jesus. What in the hell hurt so badly?

The only sensation that my body was capable of feeling was the incredible amount of pain that throbbed in my head. Particularly on the left side of my face. There was no dull ache or nagging twinge of discomfort. This was a pointedly sharp stabbing pain that radiated across my entire face and down my neck. I moved my head slightly in an attempt to discern the source of the agony and immediately became nauseous at the exponential increase in the pain.

I rolled my body over harshly on the cold beneath me and was violently sick. With every heave of my stomach, the stabbing became worse. The salty hot tears that poured involuntarily from my eyes felt odd against the cold of the surface below me.

Cold.

Why was it cold?

Where was Edward?

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and tried desperately to understand what was going on. I could remember arriving back at the hotel and I could remember being with Edward. I could hear the soft unfamiliar melody he'd hummed to me as I drifted into a peaceful sleep. And then, nothing. It was as if a door had shut and everything that happened on the other side was hidden from me.

I shifted once again and placed my palm flat against the hard floor beneath me. A grainy sandy texture attached itself to my skin immediately, confusing me even more. I tentatively straightened my arms, jerking my right hand away from the pressure as a burning sensation spread up my arm and into my elbow. I slowly lifted myself from the floor, fighting a wave of vertigo that tried to overtake me with every inch that I moved.

"The slower you move, the better," a slow drawl called to me from some distance away. My mind and my senses were moving incredibly slow but the eerie familiarity of the voice made icy chills run down my spine.

I raised my head and squinted into the open space before me. My vision on the left side was blurred and distorted but it was still possible to make out the scenery before me. There was a large window to my left that framed the city skyline against a light purple haze. The pitch black of night was on the verge of giving way to the earliest light of morning. To my right was a solid concrete wall with a rusted metal door in the very center. The ceiling of the room was too high for me to accurately gage the height. There was a collection of large metal machines scattered around the filthy room, all showing the distinct signs of neglect or abandonment.

I was sprawled on the floor of some type of warehouse or old factory. But I had no idea how or why.

"Sit up, but don't stand yet. I hit you harder than I thought, so you'll probably be really dizzy if you try to stand up."

The recognition of the ominous voice washed over me like a tidal wave. The pronounced Southern twang, the ever present disdain and the small trace of insanity could only belong to one person.

"Sebastian?"

"It was harsh, I know. Sorry about that," he said in a tone of voice that suggested he wasn't sorry at all. " But I only had a few seconds to get you out of there. Think of it this way; the scar that will leave is minor compared to what would happen if he burned you."

His speech was a slower pace than normal and slightly slurred. He stood leaning casually against one of the decrepit machines about twenty feet away from me, his eyes unfocused as he stared at me. Every so often he would cock his head to the side as if listening to some unheard sound and then he would scowl deeply. His cast stood out against his pale skin, the fingers swollen and dark purple.

"Sebastian, what have you done?" I asked him in a small voice. The memories of the night were slowly creeping back into my thoughts. I could remember being awoken by something and an unfamiliar smell.

Oh, fuck.

The smell.

The fire.

"What did you do?" I shouted at him, my head pounding with every word. I tentatively reached up and touched the left side of my head. The tiniest contact against my skin sent a raging bolt of pain down into my neck and I couldn't help but wince. I looked at my hand to find that it was covered in blood and tried desperately to control the nausea that once again stirred in my stomach.

"Quit bitchin'," he spat. "It ain't nothing but a little smoke. Enough to trigger the smoke alarms but it won't hurt anyone. Not at the hotel anyway." He smiled evilly as some twisted thought occurred to him.

"Why? Why are you doing this? What the fuck have I ever done to you?" With every word, I got angrier and angrier. I was tired of the constant harassment and pain. I was tired of feeling like a weakling around this ordinary man. This entire situation needed to end tonight, one way or another.

He looked stunned at my words. Or maybe at my tone of voice, I didn't really care. He stared at me, almost as if I was speaking another language. His face truly registered shock at my reaction. His generally smug appearance seemed, for a moment, child like. Almost as quickly as I'd recognized the change, it was gone and the cold cruel man I'd known for more than two years was back.

"It's not you. It's him. I don't really give a flying fuck about you. He's the one that has to be destroyed. Before he can hurt you, turn you."

I was confused. His words made no sense to me. If he didn't care about me at all, then why in the hell did he keep talking about keeping me safe? I recognized the anger flaring in his cheeks and the hard set of his mouth. I was not confused at all about to whom he was referring and toward whom his anger was directed. It was completely illogical for such hatred to be directed toward someone that he'd never laid eyes on until a week ago, but that didn't seem to phase him.

"Sebastian, please don't do this. I don't understand. Why?" I sobbed, my anger dissipating instantly at the realization that not only was his logic twisted but so was his mind. Sebastian wasn't just an angry jerk. He was unbalanced. Disturbed. The hot tears streaked down my face faster than I could breathe as this new understanding settled over me and the stinging sensation in my eyes told me that the tears were no where near finished.

"I'll tell you why, bitch," he screamed so loudly that his voice echoed off the high ceiling. "It's all his fucking fault. I just wanted to fuck you, to piss off JP. I had every intention of it that night. I wanted JP's little princess to call my name as I fucked you outside the studio," he growled as he stalked toward me. I pushed myself backwards away from him, ignoring the searing pain that shot up my arm as I once again tried to put weight on my broken wrist. But he was too fast. He stood over me, hatred mirrored in his eyes as he continued. "But that God damned scar on your arm changed my whole fucking world. The second I touched you, He came back."

I had no idea what he was talking about but the insanity that shrouded his face told me to keep my mouth shut. Sebastian was drunk, enraged and clearly deranged; a combination that would only lead to someone getting seriously hurt if he was angered any further.

"He never fucking leaves me now. Day and night, the old man screams at me, tells me to do things. And it started at that rat hole restaurant the instant that I touched your arm." His face was almost demonic-looking in his rage as he continued to rant. " The skin is too cold, Bitch. It's unnatural. He told me what had done it and he won't shut the fuck up until I kill the creature!" he shrieked, his left hand pulling forcefully at his hair.

My entire body shook in fear and pain. I cowered like a toddler on the dusty grime covered floor unable to tear my eyes away from him and I hated myself for it. I was disgusted with my reaction. I wanted to be tough or brave or defiant. But everything about him screamed danger. I shook from head to toe as he took another step toward me. He stopped dead in his tracks when a ringing noise chimed from somewhere within his pockets. The nasty smile that spread across his face at the noise was more terrifying than anything else he'd done all night was.

"You're creature," he sneered " is quick. Why don't we invite him to our little party."

He flipped the phone open and raised it to his ear, never backing an inch away from me. The fingers of his damaged hand twitched as they dangled beside him and his body seemed to jerk spastically every few seconds. He laughed softly into the receiver as the caller began to speak.

"Shut the fuck up and listen," he interrupted. "Wifey is awake now, so you have even less time than when you left the hotel," he continued.

I couldn't listen to another word. God help me, it was Edward on the line. This entire thing had been an excuse to get Edward to follow us. I prayed to anyone that would listen for divine intervention to keep Edward away from here as the conversation continued. I was vaguely aware of Sebastian giving him directions to our current location and a deathly cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the two of them in the same space.

"No, you can't talk to her," he said in a sing song voice. Faster than a cobra strike, his boot covered foot shot out and kicked me hard in the side. The scream that tore from my lips was as involuntary as breathing. I clutched at my side protectively as his foot landed on the same side of my body again, only this one made contact with my chest, earning another yell and producing a fresh wave of tears. I gasped for air but couldn't seem to draw enough into my lungs to satisfy my body.

He laughed into the phone as he continued to lure Edward toward us.

"Did you hear that, you filthy mother fucker? Does that prove to you that she is indeed alive and awake? Fuck this up and you'll listen to her dying breaths. I promise you," he finished maliciously as he threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

"Sebastian, please don't do this," I begged him through the moisture that seemed to be collecting in my lungs. I could feel the liquid in my chest rattle with each word as it left my mouth and I could taste the acrid rusty flavor of blood as I tried to cough. I could not understand how he could, even in his insanity, rail about keeping me safe while continuing to physically hurt me

"I have to. He won't leave me alone until I make you safe. And the only way to do that is to kill him," he finished as he moved toward me once again. "Get up!" he commanded as he stood towering above me.

I was apparently not fast enough for him. With an exasperated huff of his breath, he reached down with his left hand and grabbed a hand full of my hair. He yanked forcefully as he began to walk and my only course of action was to scramble behind him like a crab. He reached the far side of the room and pushed my back violently into a metal chair, earning yet another shriek of pain.

"Sit," he barked and I moved as fast as possible to situate myself into the chair before he pulled me up by my hair. The instant that my bottom hit the cold steel of the seat, he grabbed my injured arm in his swollen hands and pulled it backwards toward the rear leg of the chair. With a small clicking sound, I realized through the pain that my arm was now immobile and I was sitting in a slumped position.

I yanked my hand outward, sending a fiery bolt of maddening pain through my arm. But the sob I let out wasn't in response to the excruciating condition of my arm. It was from the realization that he'd handcuffed me to the chair, which was much too heavy to move from its location.

He walked away, back toward the ancient machine he'd been leaning on when I'd awoken, muttering to himself, and then toward me again. He was pacing in ever-smaller circles around me, waiting. I couldn't stop the tears from falling as the horrible situation brought my world crashing down around me.

My entire body was racked with pain, I couldn't breath without feeling the bubbling sensation in my chest, I was bound to a chair that would take vampiric strength to move and a madman was pacing around me like a starving lion.

But the worst part, by far, was the hopeless understanding that Edward was racing toward us and into the den of the beast. I tried in vain to take enough oxygen into my lungs to scream for Edward to stop, to turn back, but all I managed to do was pull the vile crimson fluid into my mouth yet again. I choked on the foreign liquid in my mouth as I heard the unmistakable sound of screeching brakes as they met the loose asphalt drive outside the building. He was behind me in a flash and something cold and hard pressed against my neck as a thunderous crash sounded on the other side of the metal door.

EPOV

I was two blocks from the abandoned building that Sebastian had directed me to when I heard Bell cry out. The sound that enraged and terrified me at the same time was not one of surprise or anger. It was pain. I pressed my foot harder into the gas pedal of the sedan I'd thrown the valet out of, even though I already had it floored.

I'd known that he'd hurt her at the hotel. The half dozen drops of her sweet blood that had been left behind on the carpet had told me at least some of the story as to how he'd managed to get her out of the building. But the anguish in her cries as I'd listened to him injure her had torn at my humanity. I wanted nothing in the world more than to rip the son of a bitch to pieces very slowly. He'd awakened a part of me I'd long since thought dormant and I wasn't sure I could keep that side of myself under control once I was near enough to touch him.

I never wanted my wife to ever see that part of me but his actions demanded a death sentence as far as I was concerned. He'd used her to get me to come to him, knowing all along that I would do whatever it took to save my beautiful Bella. God help him if…

"No," I told myself at the mere thought. I couldn't allow my head to take me to that place.

I could faintly hear the rattling of metal on metal as I turned into the alleyway that I'd been sent to, the warehouse looming some two hundred yards away. My mind had replayed to torturous sounds of her screaming over and over as I'd raced toward her. But as I neared the building enough to smell the oil and must of the long abandoned building, my brain didn't need to continue to assault me with its continuous auditory loop of the memory. There were new sounds of anguish that filled my ears. Real time and agonized, she screamed again, but the sound was softer and muffled. If possible, this new sound was more terror inducing.

I slammed the brakes on the decrepit sedan I'd stolen from the hotel less than a half-hour ago and felt the tires skid along the loose gravel that filled the space nearest the dark red brick building. I was out of the door before the vehicle came to a stop and I was only slightly aware that it continued to roll forward until it smashed into the mortar wall.

The phone that I'd ignored the entire drive buzzed from my front pocket again as I reached out for the handle of the rusted metal door that held my wife captive. As I'd flown from the front door of the hotel, I'd had a fleeting glimpse of a stunned JP standing on the sidewalk and my mother's voice called to me from somewhere behind. I'd ignored both of them in my hurry to get to Bella, but I knew without looking at the display window who was calling me. While my mother and JP had persistently phoned, it was Alice that was calling now. She had seen something, but I couldn't waste any amount of time talking to her. Whatever her vision had been, it paled in importance to getting to my wife. With all the strength I possessed, I tore the door from its hinges and stepped inside the cavernous room. I was assaulted by the smell of her blood immediately.

Fucking hell. She was bleeding. Profusely. The man that might have earned my sympathy or pity hours earlier had signed his own death warrant in my wife's blood.

I scanned the room as I took another step into the room. The old manufacturing equipment was rusted and oxidized almost beyond recognition. The wall of windows that covered the back wall was so clouded with decades of grime that the city behind it was only partially visible. But the most prominent feature of the room was the two inhabitants at the back of the space, directly in front of me.

All anger and desire for revenge gave way to the most paralyzing fear I'd ever known as I looked at Sebastian and Bella. She was seated in a large metal chair that seemed to be bolted to the floor of the room. Her body was slumped to the right and her arm was distended to the back of the chair. The left side of her face as a mass of dark purple, almost black, bruises and cuts. Her left eye, usually so beautiful and expressive was swollen to the point of being completely shut. Blood poured from a large gash across her forehead and a trickle of blood oozed in a steady stream from the corner of her mouth. Her breathing was ragged and labored. The muffled sound I'd heard had been her lungs as they tried in vain to fill with oxygen. The inebriating scent of her blood filled the room, only it held no appeal what so ever. Instead, it served as a constant reminder of just how much danger and pain she was in.

Standing directly behind her, his right fist snarled awkwardly into her hair, stood Sebastian. Clutched lethally in his left hand and resting directly above the pulse point of her throat was a large hunting knife. The glare on his face was one of triumph and madness.

"Nice of you to join us," he goaded.

I couldn't respond. I'd locked eyes with my Bella. She was terrified and in more pain than she seemed to be able to endure. A steady stream of tears poured from her eyes as she shook her head back and forth, her mouth silently forming the word "no" over and over.

"You're hurting her, Sebastian. This is between us, leave her out of it," I said as calmly as I was capable.

"Fuck you animal. She's in it already. Deviate from what I tell you in any way and she'll pay the price."

I held my hands up and slowly started moving toward them. Sebastian's eyes widened as I neared them and he pressed the tip of the knife harder into her skin. A small red line of blood appeared on her neck and I froze mid step.

"Don't," I croaked out as another wave of pain colored her face. She was paler than I'd ever seen a living person and the torturous rasping coming from her chest was deepening. Bella was struggling to breathe enough to stay conscious.

"Take your phone out and kick it to me. Then walk to that press," he said, snapping my attention away from my wife's urgent distress. He cocked his head toward a large machine about thirty feet away from them.

My actions as I entered the room had taught me not to test him right now. He was clearly fine with hurting her and I could only take him out if he was distracted. I couldn't risk him doing any more damage to her, even if every fiber of my being screamed for me to make this man suffer for a very long time.

"I know what you're thinkin'," he said as I crossed the room. "Can you make it to me, take me out, before I shove this into her pretty little neck. The answer is no, you can't. If you so much as twitch, she's done. Do you get me Eddie?"

"I thought this was about protecting her? How can you want to save her and hurt her at the same time?"

"Frankly, my dear Eddie, I don't give a damn," he taunted in a sickly impression of Rhett Butler. "I don't give a shit about the bitch. The only interest I've ever had in her was to fuck her. It's Him that won't let her go," he finished disgustedly.

Standing there, having a conversation with this sadistic fucker took more self-control than I'd ever shown in my entire existence. I wanted him dead, writhing in pain, cringing in fear. But I was acutely aware that any misstep on my part would cost Bella more than she had to give. Her body was struggling to maintain its normal functions as it was. Any more effort or injury would be too much for her to survive.

"You came for me… Edward," she cried softly. "Why…why did you…come? It's what he wants," she coughed as she finished a small splatter of blood landing on the concrete in front of her.

"Baby, I love you. I'm sorry. God help me, I'm sorry Bella."

I'd done it again. My presence in her life had once again placed her in mortal danger. There didn't seem to be any way for me to keep her safe as long as I was in her life. I was drowning in the knowledge that this was my entire fault. My very existence, my very nature was the reason she once again suffered at the hands of a lunatic with a vendetta against me.

"I love you Edward. Don't you…don't you ever stop believing that. You are…you're the very best part of me," she sobbed through blood stained tears.

"Enough of this shit," Sebastian interrupted.

I returned my gaze to him and the anger flared again. Pure psychotic rage coursed through me as I looked into the eyes of the man that didn't care if she lived or died as long as he made his "voice" go away.

"Why should I believe that if you destroy me you'll leave her alone?" I asked in outright defiance. "Why would you not just kill her?"

"I got no problem with her. You," he emphasized, " are what will make the God damned voice go away. When you're gone, I got no reason to hurt her. If you are destroyed, she won't burn like Grandpa's bitch. And if you don't die, she will and she won't be turned into one of you. So either way, I've protected her and the voice will go away."

He turned his face to her slightly and licked his lips in an obscene way. The sight was blindingly enraging and repulsive to behold simultaneously.

"I might have a little fun with her before I take her back. But I got no reason to hurt her when you're gone," he sneered.

Bella continued to whisper "you came for me" as she watched the exchange, her eyes never leaving mine. Her tears had subsided, but I knew that is was only from exhaustion that they slowed and not from any form of calm. I looked to him once more before I pulled my phone from my hip pocket and placed it at me feet. I used my foot to slide the small object across the room to his feet. With a raging mind and heavy heart, I crossed the room to the equipment he'd indicated earlier. I turned so that my back was to it and faced him again.

"Pick up the canister at your feet," he instructed.

I looked down and to my left was a bright red canister with a yellow nozzle protruding from the top. The smell the slithered its way out of the plastic container was unmistakable.

Gasoline.

Fuck. He knew the only vulnerability I had besides the precious woman at his feet.

"Pour it in a circle around you and then up you body," he said, his voice still radiating a deceptive calm.

I stared at him a split second too long for his liking because he pressed the knife harder into her delicate skin as he kicked a similar jar at his feet. The acrid smell of the fumes filled the air and washed in a stream underneath the chair that my wife was bound to.

"I said, pour it in a circle around you and then up you body."

"Edward! No! Don't you dare! Please don't do it. Baby, I'm begging you, don't!" she screamed with more effort than her body had to give. She was hysterical, as she understood his plan as quickly as I did.

"Bella, I love you. Don't forget that," I tried to calm her as I did as instructed. The awful liquid soaked my lower body as I emptied the accelerant over and around me.

"You can follow instructions. Now let's test Mommy's theory. You'll find two sets of genuine police issue handcuffs on that piece of shit machine. Put them around your wrist or watch her impersonate Joan of Ark. And remember those will hold you in place if you let them. Let's see if you really are willing to give your life for her," he laughed out into the excruciating silence of the night.

I didn't hesitate this time. I snatched the cuffs from the ground and quickly fastened them to my wrists, letting the second cuff of each dangling from my arm. I wanted to give him absolutely no reason to touch her again. His warped explanation of "saving" her as he'd termed it was brutal. He'd broken with rational thought long ago and was perfectly at ease with murdering either of us.

If someone had to die, it would be me.

"Your boy there is a smart cookie," he said as he cut his eyes to Bella, who was sobbing uncontrollably at that point. Blood flowed in a free trail from her head and her mouth as she tried to shout at me and she pulled the arm bound to the chair upwards violently and repeatedly. The volume and words were drowned out by the amount of blood that flowed but her mantra was clear.

I love you.

She repeated the words like a prayer as she watched me. Her body convulsed in fear and blood loss, but she never tore her gaze from me.

"I think you know what to do by now, Smarty. Isn't it amazing all the shit you can find lying around a tour bus," he continued.

I grabbed the free cuff on my left arm and quickly latched it to the railing of the machine. I took the other cuff in my right hand and turned my body enough to find the railing to my right and my eyes found what I'd known would be waiting for me.

A single wooden match lay on the rusted rim of the machine.

I held it in between my fingers as I latched the last cuff to my pyre. I had just secured myself to the equipment that would bring an end to my unnaturally long life. But I was strangely at peace with the fate, as long as it would save my wife. There had not been a single thought about **not** sacrificing myself for her. There was no fear for myself and no worry for what lie ahead for me.

My angel, my love had convinced me of the existence of my soul and of a higher power that had a preordained plan for all of us. She'd shown me that there was something to live for when I'd been unable to find anything and her love had taught me that there were some things worth dying for.

Dying in the place of someone you love seemed like a pretty good way to go.

"Bella, thank you. Thank you for making my life so happy, Baby. I love you. I have always loved you and I will always love you," I said as a single trickle of venom slid down my cheek, bringing me the first relief of tears in more than ninety years.

"Edward, please! You promised you'd never leave me. I need you Edward, I love you," she groaned out. Her pain, physical and emotional, was almost more than I could bear. I wanted to go to her, to kiss her, the feel her in my arms. But I couldn't risk not getting to her fast enough to keep him from hurting her. Any more blood loss or oxygen deprivation and she wouldn't make it.

"Keep my heart safe. I' leaving it with you. I'll get it back from you on the other side, my love. Bella, I love you," I whispered to her as I closed my eyes.

I flicked my thumbnail across the head of the match. The small flame burned blue at first and then grew into a bright yellow flame at the end of the stick.

"Uncuff her," I ordered to Sebastian as I held the flame in my hand. "I can't get to her fast enough, so you win. But let her loose. Her part in this is over."

He looked hard into my eyes before he nodded slowly. He bent his knees and crouched behind the chair. A small click popped in the void of the room and then her arm swung freely toward her feet. She slid from the chair in a heap onto the floor, crying a river of tears down her discolored, swollen and still beautiful face.

"Il mio cantante, amore mio, mia moglie," I said to her quietly.

My singer, my love, my wife.

I repeated the sacred words I'd said to her on our wedding night, just a few short weeks ago, with a reverence that I'd not known I was capable of.

"Edward, please," she begged as she struggled to move toward me. Sebastian grabbed her gently around the waist and held her in place. His hand still clutched the knife, but mercifully he held it by his side rather than at her neck. As the inevitability of the moment crashed around her, I saw her face slacken and soften.

"Pick up the phone and dial 911," I barked at him. "When I know she's safe, I'll do as you ask. But not a second before."

He considered this for just a moment before taking my phone and flipping it open. The engorged fingers of his own injured hand pressed the keys awkwardly before he raised it to his ear, his other hand still around Bella's waist holding her still. I listened to the brief conversation as he told the emergency operator that a woman was injured and the warehouse was on fire. He gave them the basic directions to our location before snapping the phone shut.

Help was on the way for Bella. I'd done all I could without putting her further at risk. In the very distant air, I could hear the wailing of a siren. I listened intently as the noise moved closer and closer to us. Even though neither of them could probably hear the wailing noise, I knew it was a matter of minutes before the ambulance or police car arrived and my wife would be safe.

Bella would be saved.

"Edward Cullen, I will always love you," my love gasped.

"I will always love you, Bella Cullen."

I tried to give her one last smile as I said goodbye to my wife. I sucked in a deep breath and then I let the flaming match fall from my fingers into the waiting puddle at my feet.

**Chapter Notes: Has the mob begun to form? I don't know if asking you guys to make me purr is appropriate given where we left poor Edward, so how about make me feel like less of a villain for doing that to my favorite vampire.**


	17. Chapter 17How Do I Live Without You

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

Holy crap! You guys are brutal! And I thought I was the one with the warped sense of justice. You all collectively want Sebastian's ass on a platter. I'm very curious to see how you guys feel about this chapter. I'm not going to say anything else about the chapter or it will give it away. Just read the title and draw your own conclusions.

Quick note to answer a couple of the questions you had. Yes, Edward is a vamp and has all the strength that comes with his supernatural existence. But he is also a husband and that is the part of him that is in control of him at the moment. His love and fear for his wife are his dominant traits right now. Also, Sebastian is sick but he is also just a mean SOB. His illness defines him but his choices are based on his core personality.

**I'll see you at the bottom.**

Chapter 17-How Do I Live Without You

JP POV

"Good night, Sugar," I said as I leaned into the driver side window of the old beat up Toyota that my latest conquest apparently drove. "I had a really great time," I lied smoothly to the virtual stranger that I'd shared my bed with just a while ago.

"Look me up next time you're in town?" Anna or Amy or Alicia or whatever her name was purred at me. She batted her spider-webbed eyelashes at me and gave me what I supposed was a vixenish smile. But in truth, it rather disgusted me.

"Sure, Baby. But we won't be back for a while."

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before I pulled back and leaned against the car in the parking space beside her. She gunned the engine of the ancient car and backed out of the small spot. With a final wave from her long fingers, she pulled away from the hotel. I watched the tail lights fade into the darkness of the city and then continued to stare into nothing.

She'd been very hot and very eager, but I'd not been able to really get into our evening together. Something was different. I'd spend years banging a stream of chicks and been perfectly content with it. No involvement, no strings…just a lot of fun and a lot of pussy. But the last few weeks felt different.

I watched absent-mindedly as a big fucking bird swooped down toward the ground and grabbed something up in its feet. Fuck me, what kind of dinobirds did they grow here in the great state of Texas? Ok, useless random thought. Anyway…my head was spinning with the remnants of the alcohol the earlier evening had offered and the empty sex the early morning had ushered in. Everything in my life felt pretty fucking empty here lately.

It wasn't hard to figure out what had changed. Bells. Watching Bitch, shit I could hardly even call her that anymore, so freakin' happy was doin' a number on me. I loved her and wanted her happy. God only knew of all of us how little she'd really been happy in the last four years. Seeing her fuckin' glowin' every time Edward was near her was really fun to watch. And it had amped up our show monumentally. All the scorchin' hot outfits in the world couldn't do for her fuckability factor on stage what one innocent touch from him could. And finally getting' some didn't seem to be hurtin' either.

But still, it was hard to watch. The sweet touches, the little stolen kisses, the whispers…it was too real. It took my head back to a long gone time when I'd been on the receiving end of those intimate gestures. Years ago cooped up in a tiny little apartment that overlooked the city of Seattle and smelled of cinnamon and flowery shit.

Heidi.

I sighed deeply and reached for the pack of stogies in the back pocket of my jeans. As I lit one and sucked in harshly, my head filled with images of her. She was so fuckin' perfect. Bombshell gorgeous but not even remotely high maintenance, rockin' taste in music and so ridiculously smart. She was beyond funny and so loving and caring and just…everything.

But typical me, I'd fucked it all up. I'd managed to blow the one and only thing in my life that was good. I arched my back and leaned my head against the hood of the car I was leaning against. As I stared up into the pitch black night sky, I thought about one of the last nights we'd all been together before everything went to hell in a hand basket.

Heidi had known the second she'd met Bella that there was nothing to fear from the time we spent together and had welcomed her into our lives with open arms. There had always been something about our relationship that had bypassed the whole sexual tension thing. I'd felt that Bella was my sister from the very first night I'd met her when I'd found her wailing on the piano at four in the morning. She'd been such a fucked up little mess. Skinnier than hell, pale as a corpse and nearly silent when we weren't talking about the song we were working on. She'd clung to Chip for dear life in the beginning and the panic attacks still ruled her life. Heidi had folded her into our everyday life with almost no effort. That last night we were all together had, in hindsight, seemed the most perfect night we'd ever spent together.

We'd been playing with Dimitri for a couple of months and had just added Felix into the mix a few weeks earlier. Jane hadn't even been introduced to our little traveling band of monkeys at that point. We were in the apartment practicing and fuckin' off. Several empty pizza boxes and enough beer bottles to start our own bottling company gave testament to just how much fun we'd had that night. It was late as hell, pouring down buckets of rain and probably a good thing that Chip and Marcus owned the building 'cause I'm sure we were loud as crap too. Bella was sitting at the piano, as usual, playing a melody that she'd been hearing for a few days. Dimitri was sprawled out on the couch, guitar perched in his lap and Felix had his pitiful drum kit set up in the middle of the living room. I was in my ratty as hell green oversized chair with Heidi perched on the arm and leaning into my body. In front of Bella were the lyrics I'd written with no particular melody in mind on a crumpled piece of paper.

The words were an apology to my girl for something stupid I'd done and I wished like hell that I could remember what it was now. Bella played the first verse with just the piano accompaniment and it was beautiful. I could still hear her clear voice in my head as I stared at the starless sky above me.

Can you forgive me again

**I don't know what I said**

But I didn't mean to hurt you

Her tone expressed everything I couldn't say to Heidi and the moment felt too right to pass on. We all, in unison, picked up our instruments and joined her. Bella never took her eyes off the scribbled lyrics in front of her, but I watched Heidi with every note we played. She smiled so warmly that had I not been such a dickhead it would have made me cry. She knew, without a word, that I had written the song for and to her. I continued to play even as she leaned in further to me and ran her hands through my baby dreads.

Cause you were made for me

**Somehow I'll make you see**

**How happy you make me**

The song had progressed very naturally with all of us; Heidi included, adding our own harmonies to the soft melody that Bella played. We'd played into the early morning hours before everyone had left. I'd fallen asleep in that chair with my girl in my lap, her arms around me and her head on my chest. When we'd woken up the next morning, we were both stiff and slightly hung over but happy as hell.

It was the unimaginable kind of happiness that Bella was basking in now. I'd had it and thrown it away for a mediocre blowjob I'd gotten on a drunken dare. Bells never once condemned me after it all imploded and Heidi had moved out. She'd never judged me for my behavior in the following years even if she'd teased me about it mercilessly. She understood that my lack of restraint was the equivalent to her absolute denial of anything that might possibly remind us of what we'd lost. Somehow, physical affection had become, for both of us, too painful a reminder of what we longed for.

"God, I miss you," I whispered into the night.

I tried in vain to blow a smoke ring as the memories flooded my mind. Who the fuck besides Gandalf could possibly blow a perfect ring? Ok, another random thought. Maybe it was time for bed and I was reaching the point of desperation for the memories to recede into their corner of my addled brain and take the pain in my chest with them. I pushed myself off the car and took a few steps back toward the revolving doors of the hotel. I'd just reached the flowerbeds in front of the drop off curb when something caught my attention.

"'Bastian?" I called out as the unmistakable figure of the asshat ran from the side door of the hotel near the pool. He stopped and turned toward his name for just a second. He had something thrown over his shoulder but in the intense black of the night it was hard to see what. Duffel bag maybe? He seemed to be struggling with keeping it balanced as he looked at me. With pure hatred in his eyes and a nasty smile for me he turned his back and hurried toward a car near the rear of the parking lot.

"Crazy fucker," I muttered to myself as I turned back toward the glass doors, only thinking about passing out on the monster bed that waited for me and probably smelled like hell. I was ten feet from the door when the cringe-inducing screeching belted from the building. Louder than hell, some kind of alarm went off and rang throughout the entire building. The half-asleep valets that sat around a small podium all jumped like frogs in hot oil at the noise. It would have been funny as shit if the awful noise hadn't threatened to burst my eardrums.

"Fire alarm?" one of the pimply faced guys asked another one with nasty, even by my standards, greasy hair. They both turned toward me and held their arms out as if I was a charging bull heading toward them.

"Sir, don't go in there. The alarms are going off," the pimply one said as I thought "no shit genius" before he continued on " and the hotel will be evacuated. Step back toward the curb," the French fry headed dude said with a note of authority that was absurd coming from such a tool.

I shrugged my shoulders and sat my tired ass on the concrete bench about twenty feet away from the door. The slimy little men began to move the dozen or so cars that filled the huge circular drive in front of the hotel. A man in a horrible red jacket barreled out of the door barking orders at the nerd herd to clear the area.

Fuck me, the place really was on fire. I didn't know if it was cool or scary but I had a front row seat for the action. Hell, if I got lucky I could swipe a fireman's hat off the truck that was undoubtedly making its way toward the swanky abode.

I watched in amusement as the guys fumbled for the keys to the cars, dropping two sets and managing to step on the fingers of each other. Jesus, when did the Three Stooges get to be so creepy looking. I was just on the verge of laughter when Edward barreled out of the front door.

A split second look at his face told me that he was anything but amused. He looked absolutely terrified. He was every bit the vampire. His face was hard as stone and his jaw was clenched tight. But his eyes were damn near rabid. So fast I didn't really see exactly what he'd done, he was standing in the open door of the black car that pimple head had just gotten into. His arm shot inside the car and the dude came, literally, flying out. Edward threw the man a good ten feet behind him as he slid into the car and floored it out of the driveway.

This was bad. This was so fucking bad. My stomach clenched as I realized that only one thing on the planet could have Edward's panties in such a wad. I stupidly yelled his name but he was already peeling out of the drive way and into the highway in front of the hotel without so much as slowing down, not that there was an enormous amount of traffic at four in the morning. Shit, shit, shit. This was so fucked up.

I turned toward the lobby that was now full of people milling around in their pj bottoms, tank tops and bathrobes to find a familiar face. Any familiar face would do right then. I needed to know what in the hell was going on with Edward.

I reached for the door as Mama Cullen came flying out and knocked me square on my ass. Her tiny little body hit me like a Mack truck. I was gonna feel that in the morning, I thought as my ass throbbed from the impact against the concrete. Her stunned form stopped on a dime and her face was full of shock. I started to say something smart-assed but the wild look in her eyes instantly killed the remark.

"JP, I'm sorry," she said as she scanned the area surrounding us. Without looking down at me, she reached her hand out to help me and when I took it, it was shaking.

"Mama, what is going on? Eddie just blazed a trail…"

"He's got her," she said in an ice-cold voice.

I didn't need any more explanation.

Fucking Sebastian. God damned it! Sebastian. Jesus Christ, duffel bag my ass. The mother fucker had Bella thrown over his shoulder. And she was still as hell, limp as he ran toward a car. If I went as pale as my insides felt, I could probably pass for a vamp myself. Every nerve in my body was on alert and I was as stone cold sober as I'd ever been in my life.

"Come on," I said as I grabbed her chilly hand and tugged her toward another vehicle left unattended by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. I slid into the driver's side and she followed suit. I pulled it into drive and tore away from the chaos behind us, albeit not as fast as Edward had just a minute ago. I turned in the same direction I'd watched Edward tear into before I looked at her.

Esme had her phone in her hand, dialing so fast I couldn't pick out the movements of her fingers. She placed it to her ear, her eyes closed tight and waited. When I heard the fifth ring, she snapped it shut.

"I saw him," I confessed to her wide eyes as I drove down a four-lane highway with no idea where I was going. "He ran out of the building with her slung over his shoulder. I didn't know it was her," I said as my voice broke. "I swear, I didn't know it was her." The knot in my stomach that had begun to form as I stood on the concrete outside the hotel seemed to be tightening with every passing second and I was afraid I was going to hurl if it got much worse.

"Of course you didn't, Honey," she said sweetly as she dialed the phone again with no success.

"Um, not to deter the hero bit, but do you know where we're going?"

"I'm tracking him," she said as if it was the most natural thing in the world to track someone in a car moving well over 100 miles an hour at last sight.

"You can do that?"

"JP," she turned toward me, "he's my son. My first son. I've spent almost ninety years with him. I could smell him a hundred miles away if he was in trouble, so, yes I can do that."

She flipped her phone open again as she indicated that I should turn to the right. She hit a single button and I could hear the ringing of the phone through the tiny speaker followed by the "beep" as voicemail picked up again. She let out a loud groan before she snapped it shut again. Her right elbow as leaning against the window of the door and she rubbed her temple absent-mindedly like she was trying to relieve the tension there.

"JP, I don't know what we're going to find when we make it to them," she started in a quiet voice. "If he's hurt her, I don't think that Edward can control himself. It might be best if you wait outside until I can see what's going on. Edward will kill him…"

An out of place jingling tone as the phone in her hand rang interrupted her. Without looking to see who the caller was she flipped it open and hit the speaker button again, never breaking in her directions as she spoke.

"Edward! Edward?"

"No, Mom, it's me," Alice's scared voice crawled out of the phone.

"Alice, honey, what have you seen?"

"Esme, he's going to…he's…" Alice stuttered. Her unsure voice alone was enough to send my stomach over the edge and I tasted the bile in my mouth as I tried to control the urge to vomit.

"Shh, Ali. Tell me what you saw," Mama Cullen said peacefully. Maybe she should have been an actress, 'cause the calm voice she spoke to her daughter with was in no way on par with the shaking wild eyed woman that sat next to me.

"He's going to make Edward…burn himself," she sobbed into the phone. "You have to hurry, Mom. There's not much time. Carlisle and I are right behind you but…"

Esme was beyond speech. She stared disbelieving at the small device in her hand as if she couldn't comprehend the words that had just come out of it. She opened and closed her mouth several times, searching for words but failing to find them.

"Esme, dear," Carlisle's smooth voice poured from the speaker and she calmed just a little. Well, her hand quit trying to rub the skin off the side of her face anyway. "Bella is in bad shape too, but you have to get to Edward first. Alice doesn't see Sebastian hurting Bella any further but she sees Edward's decision to sacrifice himself for her. You. Have. To. Get. To. Him," he commanded to his still shell-shocked wife. There was no denying what the quiet man was trying to tell us. Edward wasn't going to make it if we didn't move our asses.

"I will Carlisle. I promise, we won't loose them," she vowed into the humid night air.

"We're not far behind you. I love you," Carlisle said, obviously trying to calm his wife again.

She shut the phone without saying anything in return to him and covered her eyes with her hands. She began to mutter to herself "we can't loose them". I wanted to touch her, to tell her that it would be okay but I didn't know how it **was** going to be okay.

She directed me into a wide alley with row upon row of warehouses on either side. As we sped down the road much to quickly she screamed out.

"Edward! No! Edward, hold on!"

She frantically pointed to a smaller narrower alley to the left and I jerked the wheel without ever taking my foot off the gas. Her hand clutched the door handle tight enough to break it off in her fingers. She looked at the twisted metal, shocked, and then threw it to the floorboard. In the next second, she'd thrown herself out of the car and was sprinting so quickly toward the brick building at the end of the alley that I could only make out a blurred shape as it disappeared into the doorway.

In what seemed like a fucking hour, I finally made the car stop in front of the same building she'd barreled into. I barely noticed the car that was smashed into the building as I pulled myself from the car. I ran as hard as I could toward the door, heart hammering in my chest with every step. I had to leap over the heavy metal door that lie broken on the ground directly in front of the entrance into what could very well be a crime scene.

The strange combination of darkness and blazing fire that greeted my eyes was confusing at first. I could see the silhouettes of two people directly in front of me. One was standing upright but awkwardly as it clutched the other figure. The smaller body was dangling in the air, held up by the taller figure. It's form was limp and looked like a rag doll as it swung sickeningly in the arms of the would be murderer.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the flames of the fire as they danced and licked around an old production line machine. There were two more figures near the fire, one clearly trying to stamp out the smoldering clothing of the larger, perfectly still person. Hate as I'd not know I was capable of flew through every cell in my body as I looked at the man I'd once called friend and brother.

"You mother fucker!" I screamed as I charged toward Sebastian, who was distracted watching the scene in the fire unfold. He dropped Bella, who crumpled at his feet without a sound, and turned to face me. As I sailed through the air toward him, I had only a moment to take notice of the shiny silver object clutched in his hand below the cast. With a roar of fear and infuriation, I reached for him as I realized that the knife in his hand was now pointed in my direction.

EsmePOV

My son. Dear God in heaven, my son.

I had been fully prepared, even expected to find Edward in the mist of a murderous rampage when we finally got to the location we were speeding towards. I expected it, was somewhat supportive of it. I knew, in my heart, that even enraged and out of control that he would never hurt Bella. But I was perfectly at peace with him tearing the lunatic that continued to hurt my family to tiny pieces.

I was not, however, prepared for what Alice and Carlisle had explained.

The twisted man that had reeked havoc on my daughter for more than two years knew and understood what we were. And therefore, understood how to destroy us. I didn't know the details of how he knew and it didn't really matter at that point. He knew and was going to use my son's one weakness to exploit his knowledge.

And I knew, as I heard the words from Alice, that Edward would do it. He loved her more than himself and would willingly sacrifice himself to keep her safe. Of all my children and all the years I'd watched both human and immortal relationships, I'd never seen anything like Edward and Bella. They weren't a couple or lovers or even soul mates. They were quite simply each other's missing half. Without the other one, they weren't capable of living any sort of life. It was beautiful to witness, to behold. But tonight, that spiritual connection seemed almost a curse. I knew that Bella would never survive losing Edward again, any more than he would survive losing her. What I wasn't sure of though was whether or not I could survive losing another child. Especially my tortured lovely Edward.

I heard her voice as she spoke to Edward and my heart flew to my throat. We were less than two blocks away from the building that would serve as my son's funeral pyre if this madman had his way and her voice floated to my ears as easily as if they were here safe in the car with us.

"Edward! No! Don't you dare! Please don't do it. Baby, I'm begging you, don't!" my daughter screamed into the echoing room and my soul cried out in pain at the desperation in her voice. She was watching the whole scene play out. God help us, she would be the one to go mad if she had to watch Edward die.

He spoke reverently to her as he tried to calm her. His love poured through every word and I could only imagine the look on his stunning face. Pain and anguish etched with love and fear. It was more than any mother's heart could take. They continued to speak to one another for a few seconds as we rounded our way into the last alley way and I spied a wrecked car embedded in the brick of the building.

As he spoke to her in Italian, I gripped the handle of the door without thinking and it was crushed beneath my fingertips. I knew the words he spoke to her and their significance. Their wedding night. He'd spoken the same words to her on their wedding night. He was telling her goodbye.

I tried to continue listening as I threw myself from the car toward the open doorway, the steel barrier thrown aside by my avenging angel of a son. I smelled the sweet stench of her blood as it hung thick in the air and worse, the horrendous odor of the match as Edward held it mixed with the vile gasoline.

I wasn't going to make it in time to stop him.

The moment the match made contact with the liquid I felt the intensified heat on my skin. I launched myself through the door just in time to see the flames erupt around Edward's feet. His arms were outstretched beside him and secured with silver cuffs. He could have easily pulled away from them, but his gaze was locked on Bella.

I saw the most painful and beautiful sight I'd ever seen as I looked into the eyes of my son as he stood perfectly still in the growing flames. His face was full of longing and adoration as he stared at his wife. But his eyes nearly undid me. His deep ochre eyes were filled with venomous tears, several of which had fallen and were making a track down his sharp cheek. My son was crying.

I didn't look at my daughter as I ran with all the strength I possessed toward my Edward. With a scream of anguish I met the flames as they began to creep their way up his legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tore at his form, using the momentum of my speed to aid me in pulling him away from the metal object he was bound to. His arms pulled the metal of the handcuffs away with a loud crunch and the two of us tumbled onto the gritty floor below. The moment I made contact with the ground, I began to roll myself over his body. He was frighteningly still and his jaw was clenched, as he lay stunned on the concrete floor.

I pulled at the fabric of his pants below the knee, flames searing my palms as I yanked the burning material away from his skin. The abhorrent smell of his burning flesh assaulted my nose, but I ignored the urge to turn away from it. He seemed to be in shock as he lay on the floor. The usually alabaster skin of his legs was a raw angry red and there were large blisters covering much of his shins. I looked into his eyes searching for any sign of response as I continued to try and remove the now smoldering fabric.

"Edward? Honey, talk to me. Edward?"

His own name seemed to spark his comprehension of what was happening. In less than a second, his eyes registered full understanding of what was going on around him. His head snapped toward Bella as he jerked his upper body away from the floor and into at sitting position. I followed his gaze toward my daughter and we both gaped at what we saw.

JP was flying through the air toward Sebastian, who had dropped Bella's body to the ground. Both men were screaming in anger as they collided and hit the ground with a thud. Fists and arms and hair flew in every direction creating a chaotic scene but the flash of the silver the streaked through the air was unmistakable even in the confusion.

"Bella," Edward groaned in a raspy voice I'd never heard from him. "Mom, go to Bella." He curled his legs beneath him, wincing soundlessly, and shot across the room toward the two human men that were locked in battle. A constant spew of curse words flew from both their mouths as they tried to decimate each other.

Edward stood towering above them, glancing at the still form of his wife with an excruciating longing to go to her etched clearly on his face. But instead, he reached into the melay at his feet and pried the two men apart. As he easily moved their bodies apart, I saw that JP had a freshly split lip and several bruises on his cheek. There was also a crimson stain on his torso that was growing by the second.

I ran to my daughter and took her into my arms as Edward's foot made contact with Sebastian, lifting him off the ground and sending him careening ten feet across the room. He hit the wall beneath the large frame of windows with a hard thud. The breath in his chest was pushed out and the sadistic man let out a groan of pain. Before his body had completely stilled, Edward was before him. He gripped his neck in a single large hand and raised him up until he was eye level with his victim's vengeful husband.

I glanced down at Bella and my panic grew. She was battered. Her angelic face was marred with dark bruises and her eye was almost completely swollen shut. A large cut on her head bled freely. Her body shuttered with every breath and a low gurgling noise in her chest disturbed me. I was not the brilliant doctor my husband was but I knew that her body was struggling to function. I stroked her sweat-drenched hair away from her face and prayed that Carlisle would be here very soon. I leaned in to kiss her forehead when a bestial growl pulled my focus back toward Edward.

I'd never heard my son use the words that now freely flowed from his lips as he slammed Sebastian against the brick wall over and over. The force he used was enough for the brick behind him to crumble with every point of contact. His teeth were bared as he brought his knee to the groin of the man in his hand. The piercing scream of the human was music to my ears.

Edward laughed maniacally as Sebastian's hand reached for his crotch to ease the pain. But Edward caught his hand and slammed it against the brick repeatedly. With a final huff, he threw the body across the floor toward where I was huddled protectively around Bella. JP had joined us and was rubbing her arm gently with his left hand as his right arm rubbed soothing circles into my back. The gesture was incredibly sweet and it was surprisingly comforting.

There would be no such comfort for Sebastian. Edward stalked toward him, now lying on the dirty floor on his back with his knees pulled up and his uninjured hand gripping his crushed groin. Edward's face was contorted with the soul deep anger as he looked at the man and I knew my son had made his decision. He was going to kill Sebastian. And I was perfectly fine with it. I would make no move to stop him, only watch to ensure that his blood lust was under control. He could drain Sebastian dry but I needed to watch over Bella, whose ambrosic blood flowed freely less than five feet away.

Edward dropped to his knees, straddling Sebastian's chest with his knees pinning his victim's elbows to the ground below. His eyes were jet black and dilated as he stared into the face of the man that had tried to kill not only him but also his wife. The low rumbling sound emanating from his chest was a familiar noise. I'd heard that sound countless times through the decades on our hunting trips. Edward was completely instinct driven as he stared emotionlessly into the face of the would be murderer. There was no pity or mercy anywhere in his face. I shamefully felt a pant of jealousy as Edward let his basest instincts take over his rage fueled body. I wanted to join him in his destruction of the horrible human that lie helpless beneath my son. I wanted his screams and his pain almost as much as he did, even though the rational part of my head told me how wrong it was.

Sebastian didn't struggle beneath the weight of his captor but he did plead with him. His cries of "please" and "don't" fell on deaf ears though. Edward grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head to the side hard enough for a crack to echo through the space. The skin of Sebastian's neck was covered in a tattoo of a snake but the vein just beneath the surface was more than visible. The blood pulsed rhythmically, calling to both my son and I as we each wished for the man's death. Edward bared his teeth again and began to very slowly lower his head.

"Edward, stop," a ringing voice called from a short distance away. I looked up to see Alice and Carlisle standing fifteen feet away from us watching the monumental event take place. They made no move to stop him outside of Alice's words. It was almost as if they had resigned themselves to the fate of the human on the floor. Edward looked at his sister without raising his head away from Sebastian's neck. He hovered half a dozen inches above the thin layer of skin that concealed the vein.

Alice didn't say anything else only turned her head slightly toward me and looked down. Edward and I followed her gaze into the deep brown orbs of Bella. She was still perfectly still and said nothing, but she was awake. The stream of blood coming from her lips had begun to pool on the fabric of my pants. She took no notice of anyone in the room except for Edward. She looked deeply into his black eyes for a long moment. There was no judgement or condemnation, only love. She was staring at the most feral part of her husband and her love did not shrink away from him. She accepted and embraced all of Edward and by doing so gave him the ability to reclaim himself.

He breathed out heavily several times and with each breath his eyes returned to their normal color. The tear tracks on his face cut path to his neck through the grime the smoke had adhered to his skin. He relaxed his posture and his grip on Sebastian's hair with every pull of oxygen he took into his lungs. It was only then that I noticed the wailing of sirens very near the building. Multiple vehicles had just turned into the entrance of the alley that would lead them to us.

With a final glance at the man below him, Edward released him and I heard my husband let out the air he'd been holding as he had watched. My son shifted slightly, meeting my eyes with the want clearly shining in his face. I nodded slightly and lifted Bella as gingerly as I could. Edward took her into his arms as he moved completely away from the vile man on the floor. He folded his still raw legs underneath him in a very child-like way and hugged her body delicately against him. She folded her arm around his neck and they both buried their faces into the others neck. I could see his lips moving but I didn't want to intrude on what he was saying.

As the emergency vehicles pulled into gravel parking area and the flashing lights filled the darkness, I felt a strong familiar pair of arms encircle me from behind. I leaned my body against Carlisle and let his calm soothe me. He rocked us gently from side to side as the EMT's pulled several stretchers into sight.

"I'm so proud of you, my love," my husband whispered into my ear. "Don't mess with Mama Bear," he laughed lightly into my hair.

Edward continued to cradle Bella in his arms even as the paramedics tried to get to her to examine her. He shifted himself so that they had enough access to her to examine her but would not release her body. I realized that her eyes had closed again but her grip on his neck had not loosened.

Sebastian had been lifted onto a stetcher but a policeman stood directly by his side. One of his hands had been cuffed to the side of the stretcher. He was muttering about the creatures but no one took any notice of what he was saying. As they worked over him his voice became broken and childish.

Alice knelt beside JP who was himself being examined for his injuries. My daughter smiled gloriously at him before throwing her arms around his neck. He laughed softly as she kissed his cheek.

"Your hubby ain't gonna whip my ass for you kissin' me is he?" he laughed out

"Mama Cullen will protect you if he tries," I told him as I squeezed his hand gently. He smiled widely at me and returned the gesture. The soft sound of pain made us all twist to see Bella being set on the stretcher in front of her by Edward. Even once she was lying still, he held on to her left hand and wrapped his body around the top portion of the mattress. He continued to kiss her head softly and I noticed that even now, rattled with pain and suffering, she smiled just a little at each of his touches.

"Poor girl better get used to peeing with an audience," JP snorted as he too watched them. We all snorted in our laughter, as we understood exactly what he was referring to. The sun would cease to shine before Edward let Bella out of his sight again.

"Somehow," I said quietly as I watched them push her stretcher out of the room, Edward gripping it tightly as he went with them. "I don't think she'll really mind even that after tonight."

As the EMT's reached the door, Edward pulled his gaze from his wife and looked at the four of us on the floor. His face was too full of emotion for any one to win out, as dominant, but his intent was clear. He silently mouthed "thank you" to us before he turned to join his wife in the ambulance.

Chapter Notes: Seriously, did you guys think with my total and complete obsession with everything that is Edward that I would kill him off? Get him naked, yes, but kill him!

**Let me know what you think. I'm gonna ask for some love now. Make me purr. We will be getting back to the good times, the musical times and the lemony times very soon.**

**Drama over (well, a little drama left…but nothing nearly as serious) everyone's okay and we can all climb back on board the tour bus.**

**Love ya**

**Kelly**


	18. Chapter 18Returning

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**Special thanks to all of you that have stuck by me through this journey. RL has been a bitch and you guys have never given up on me. The serious angsty drama is over but the story still has good bit to go. It will be much lighter and a lot more lemony from here on out. But I still have a couple of twists up my sleeve.**

**EverClear has been nominated for a Moonlight Award. I just got the email this morning, so I don't have all the details. I would love to know who nominated the story, so if its you, let me know. I will post the details on my profile later today or tomorrow, so check back for more information.**

**Playlist:**

**The Garden- Mirah**

**(I love this freakin' song and I have now ruined it for myself. You'll see why at the end of the chapter. You can find it on YouTube and I highly recommend that you listen to it while you read a certain section of the chapter!)**

Chapter 18-Returning

EPOV

"Edward, please don't make me eat any more of this," she plead as she stared disdainfully at the tray of what was supposed to be scrambled eggs and grits.

I couldn't argue with her. Even for human food, even for bizarre human food, the contents of the tray looked nasty. For two foods that weren't even in the same food group they were remarkably similar in both color and texture. Not to mention they were both swimming in a yellowish substance that they said was butter but in truth looked like vegetable oil with yellow dye in it.

I had to laugh at her protests. She looked at me with the most innocent expression as she waited for my response. As if I could deny her anything. The four inch cut above her left eye was decorated by twelve stitches and framed her temple in a unique way. The scar that it would most likely leave only added to the depth of the shinning eyes that stared back at me. The majority of her bruising had begun to heal and now had a green hue to it rather than the angry purple of a few days ago.

Eight days ago to be exact.

We'd been in residence at the hospital for eight days. The extension of professional courtesy that had been afforded to Carlisle by the Chief of Staff had been tested to the very limits in those eight days. The most prime example was my absolute refusal to leave her side for any amount of time. The staff on the fourth floor pulmonary unit all called me by name and I, in turn, knew them as well. We were all intimately familiar with the rotating parade of nurses, residents, orderlies and custodial staff that manned the pulmonary ward, but none more so than I was.

From the moment I'd jumped into the back of the ambulance, I'd only left her side once and that was because I'd been forced to by my father. The paramedics had realized immediately that Bella not only had a collapsed lung but that one of what they would ultimately come to find was six fractured ribs had actually punctured her lung. She went into shock only minutes into the ride to the hospital and they'd had to perform an aspiration with a disturbingly large needle to her chest in the mobile treatment unit. Her blood pressure had plummeted, her skin had turned ashy and her lips were blue by the time we'd arrived at the ER.

She'd been rushed into surgery where a pulmonary and orthopedic specialist waited for her. I'd pitched a raging fit to accompany her into the operating room and had been in danger of being removed from the premises before Carlisle stepped in. By some stroke of luck, the hospital she'd been brought to happened to be a teaching hospital and most of the operating rooms had observation windows. After finding me a pair of hospital scrubs to replace my charred pants and administering some medical care of his own to my legs, Carlisle had arranged for us to watch the nearly seven hours of surgery that was required to stabilize her condition. We'd stood, side by side, and watched with eager tense eyes as the venom my father had collected and the soothed over the blistered skin of my shins repaired the damage at a speed I could only wish for for my wife.

It was the most painful thing I'd ever witnessed in over one hundred years. When they'd made the incision to insert the chest tube, I'd nearly broken the railing I was gripping. The dark red blood that pumped from her chest into the plastic container secured to the edge of the operating table held no appeal to me on any level but sickened me to my core. The tube would remain in place for two days as her body was given a chance to heal. It was horrendous to watch from twenty feet away as they cut and pulled and stitched my wife back together.

The orthopedic surgeon had inserted two metal pins and a steel rod into her shattered wrist. The small break in the bone that had been treatable with a brace and some pain medication had been severely damaged as she'd attempted to free herself from the cuff on her wrist. She was very lucky that there was no nerve damage and despite the severity of the injury, she should regain full use and mobility of her wrist.

When the surgery was finally over I was allowed, once again by Carlisle's prestigious reputation, to join her in the recovery room rather than wait for her to be moved into the ICU unit she would occupy for two days. She was so still and so pale as she lay in the sterile bed connected to more than half a dozen monitors. I held her hand, kissed her soft lips and talked to her for more than two hours before she stirred even slightly. I prayed for her, to her and in the oddest way with her as I waited impatiently for her to come back to me.

I knew the moment that she began her return by the change in her heartbeat and the shifting of her eyes beneath their lids. It was at the same moment that Carlisle walked into the small recovery room. I turned my head to meet my father's eyes as he laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. Four seconds later, she'd opened her eyes. It was the most breath taking moment I could remember in a long time. She blinked twice before she smiled weakly at me. The relief I felt in that moment was boundless, as was my love for her.

It was only thirty seconds later that she vomited directly into my chest as I leaned in to kiss her forehead. She'd attempted to apologize in a voice that didn't belong to my angel. The tube they'd placed down her throat to aid her breathing during surgery had left her raw and raspy. The brilliant laughter of my father as he watched me simply shed the violated shirt and reclaim my kiss echoed through the otherwise silent room. And thus began the strange roller coaster of a ride that would be our lives over the next several days.

After she'd been settled into the ICU unit, visitors were allowed to come see her in pairs. Each pair was allowed to stay for fifteen minutes and the nurses warned us that if she became too tired they would put a stop to it. The first to come to her were Esme and Chip. The quirky man that had been both friend and parent to her for so long looked nearly as bad as she did. He was more disheveled than I could ever recall seeing him and his eyes were brimming with tears. He immediately took the space opposite me on the side of the bed and hugged her as fiercely as possible given her condition. He cried openly as he told her how much he loved her and how frightened he'd been when he'd found out what was happening. It was my remarkable wife that comforted him, assuring him that she would be fine and he would be yelling at her about her wardrobe choices before he knew it. As Chip stroked her head and face and kissed her lightly, I turned to face my mother.

Dear God, my mother. I had to be the luckiest man alive. My mother's eyes had been filled with tears that I knew were of happiness and relief. I took her into my arms and hugged her with as much ferocity as I was capable of. She returned my gesture and rocked our bodies from side to side, whispering her love for me with every movement we made. I would never, in all of eternity, be able to express just how truly grateful I was to her and just how much I loved her. But I vowed as she reached for Bella's hand and brought it to her lips to never stop trying. When Carlisle had wrapped his arms around the two of us from behind her, I smelled the salty aroma of Bella and Chip's tears as they watched. Carlisle, always loving but rarely affectionate to anyone other than his wife had leaned over her shoulder and placed a kiss on my forehead. That first visit had been momentous in its bare emotions and I felt forever blessed to have such wonderful people as my parents.

The next two to enter were Emmett and Alice. While they were somewhat somber and tentative in their demeanor, the mood was lighter than it had been with the first set of visitors. They hugged us both and Emmett, in a very un-Emmett display, kissed me softly on the top of my head. My tiny sister had perched herself on the foot of the bed and told us the story of that awful night, as only she knew it. The information, while intriguing was painful to hear for both of us. I sat precariously at Bella's side with my arm around her shoulders and she, in turn, leaned her head against my chest as we listened to the sorrid details of our latest brush with disaster. The further into the story Alice got, the more Bella leaned in to my body until she could get no closer without me actually lying behind her in the bed. There was a palpable need for us to be as close as possible as we realized just how close we'd come to loosing each other as she described her vision of my forced suicide and of Bella's death on the floor of the warehouse.

A steady stream of visitors flowed over the next two hours. Every member of EverClear excluding JP, who was on a different floor being treated for his own injuries, came to hug and kiss us both. They reported to Bella that JP had been cut very deeply across the chest by the knife Sebastian had thrust at him but that he was in true JP form surrounded by the nurses. He would have a scar of his own and had received twenty-four stitches but otherwise he was mostly bruised. The most humorous part of their report was that his deepest and most serious bruise was on his tale bone and that he'd received that particular injury when Esme had knocked him, inadvertently of course, on his butt. He had apparently asked every nurse on the floor to kiss it and make it better but had yet to find any takers.

Members of the crew had also taken up post in the waiting room and patiently waited their turn to come and give their love to their favorite girl. My family had basically set up camp in the overly cheerful room and took turns coming in every so often. There was a steady supply of human food for everyone who wished to wait their turn and Rose had stocked the room with pillows and blankets for those that wanted to stay the night. There was one noticeable exception to the constant influx of well wishers though.

Jasper had yet to make an appearance either in her room or the hospital. I knew, even before Alice's explanation, that he was struggling with a powerful guilt over the situation. He needed to work through his own emotions before arriving, so as not to add any negativity to the already hard situation. It had not occurred to me to be angry at Jasper for his perceived roll in the entire affair, but I understood the guilt that he was battling.

I was battling it myself. I had not been able to rid myself of the absolute truth that if I had just listened to my gut and not left her, that none of this would be taking place. I'd relived that blackest of hours in my head a thousand times over. And each time, I had drawn the same conclusion. I'd not only failed her again, but I'd nearly killed her in my negligence. The one time I'd slipped up and verbalized my feelings to Bella, she'd become almost enraged at me. Her pulse had shot so high in her anger that the nurse had come to check on her. She point blank refused to listen to my reasoning as to why this was my fault, informing me that unless I'd turned into a psychotic mental patient I had nothing to feel guilty about. It was something we'd need to discuss, that I would need to atone for later, but not until she was stronger and clearer headed.

I'd also struggled with my decision not to kill the son of a bitch. The last fifteen seconds of that night haunted me. I'd been less than an inch from ripping his throat out and the beast in me had roared with delight. The one and only thing that had stopped me was my wife. As I looked into her eyes, I'd seen no judgement or disapproval of my actions. But I'd felt my own condemnation. Nearly a century earlier, I'd killed men like Sebastian without an ounce of hesitation. But as I looked between his eyes and Bella's, I'd felt remorse at the loss of life I was about to inflict. I'd spoken to Esme about it during one of her visits when Bella had fallen asleep mid-sentence, not an uncommon thing those first two days and not an unexpected event given the enormous amount of medication they had her on. She was the one person that I thought might be able to understand the conflict with what I hadn't done.

She'd told me that she had wanted him to die as well. That a part of her was actually jealous that it was my teeth that would sink into his flesh and drain him. It was hard for me to imagine my mother ever feeling such a way. She'd also told me her theory as to why I hadn't gone through with it. She believed that along with the love and happiness and joy that Bella had awakened in me, my humanity had also been resurrected. She thought that in seeing Bella as my equal and my match in every way, that I had also elevated all humans to a higher status. When she first spoke, I scoffed at her. But the more I thought about it as I watched my love sleep and heal, the more I'd begun to believe her. I had wanted vengeance and retribution but not necessarily wanted the act of killing. I hadn't stared at my prey or my dinner, but I'd stared into the eyes of a man. Even as I prepared myself to end his life, a part of me screamed that what I was doing was wrong. It was just another example of how incredible Esme really was that she could see and comprehend something so monumental in those fleeting seconds that I'd not been able to understand fully without her guidance.

The third day ushered in the renewed happiness and some of the humor in our lives. She'd been moved from ICU and the chest tube had been taken out, leaving her very sore but not in need of such extensive monitoring. The overly large suite that had been arranged for her to occupy the remaining duration of her stay was exquisite. In addition to the hospital bed, there was a large sitting area with a couch that folded into a double bed. It had been unfolded within the first ten minutes of our arrival and not been put away once the duration of our stay.

The best part of that third day had been Bella's return to a somewhat coherent state. She was very sore and still painfully weak, but her mind was no longer clouded with the fog of medications. It was during the first ten minutes in the room that she had reached her arms out for me and pulled me as tightly against her chest as she was able. She repeated over and over how much she loved me and how grateful she was that I'd not been lost to her. Guilty as I'd felt, I absolutely relished the feel of her body embracing me. The endless two days of her not touching me had been torturous and I was a glutton for the feel of her skin against mine. We were still wrapped around each other when JP entered the room wearing his hospital gown and a pair of grizzly bear bedroom shoes.

"Do you two ever not do that shit?" he'd asked as he flung himself onto the bed at her feet. She had been too sore to move toward him, but he had gently hugged her as he crouched over her legs. Her tears had flowed freely as she kissed him and admonished him for taking such a risk.

Her voice was still very soft, her throat still raw from the invasive plastic that had kept her lungs moving when her body could not. But even through the rasp, her emotions were clear. He, too, seemed much more emotional as he told her how scared he'd been when he'd seen her limp form and how much he loved her. They held their embrace for a very long time, so long in fact, that I'd begun to wonder if one or both of them had fallen asleep.

It was Emmett's booming entrance that had broken the spell they seemed to be captivated by. He stormed into the room with a large box of take out that smelled absolutely horrendous but immediately piqued JP's attention. The other members of EverClear were right behind him, all grinning at their founding members' unusual display of affection for each other. It was only as I moved to help unfold the couch to make a picnic area for the humans that I noticed JP was wearing absolutely nothing beneath his open backed paper gown.

"Christ, JP. Get your naked ass away from my wife," I'd humorously scolded him, only to have him wiggle his bare ass at me. He kissed her forehead before plopping himself into the middle of the food and digging in with fervor.

The third day also brought the return of our conspicuously absent brother. As we'd lie side by side in the bed watching a movie, he'd sheepishly stuck his head inside the room. My ever-observant wife had noticed him immediately and squealed in delight. His thoughts as he crossed the room toward her open arms were a mass of fear of my reaction to his appearance and guilt as her took in her battered body. He'd stood awkwardly at her bedside looking down at his feet for several seconds before she'd taken his hand and pulled him into a happy embrace. He'd hugged her back delicately at first, only increasing the pressure when she smacked his shoulder blade.

For nearly two hours, the three of us talked. We discussed the wealth of information that we'd discovered that night, the circumstances of my leaving the room and finally the consequences of our decisions. She'd listened very attentively to both of us as we tried to convince her of why we were equally to blame for her present condition, only to have her summarily dismiss our every claim. In the end, she determined that if Jasper truly felt he needed to atone for his actions that he would find a way to smuggle a banana split into the hospital. He had proudly returned an hour after his departure with the largest ice cream sundae I'd ever seen complete with a bottle of whipped cream that he sprayed directly into her mouth upon request. The exchange was endearing to watch and I couldn't help but smile as I watched the two of them. From that point on, Jasper was a fixture at the hospital and made it his personal duty to massage her feet at the slightest hint of uncomfortability. Her retribution for me she would save for a later date and by the look in her eye and the arched eyebrow as she spoke, her thoughts had already begun to return to the gutter.

It was the fourth day that brought several bizarre twists to our stay. The first was Dimitri's arrest. He'd been bringing a large box of breakfast pastries for everyone to feast on when he'd turned onto a hallway and come face to face with Sebastian. The authorities had been in the process of transferring him to the medical unit of the local jail for continued treatment of his injuries when the incident had occurred. He had a laundry list of ailments to contend with; both his right and left arm were broken in several places, all of the ribs on his left side were fractured, he had a moderate concussion and my personal favorite, a crushed left testicle. It served the bastard right for even implying that he would touch Bella in a sexual manner. We were told that Dimitri fought his way through two police officers and an orderly to get to the man that had very nearly ended his lead singer's life. Chip and Marcus had posted bail for him and he'd returned to the room late in the evening a conquering hero.

JP was released from the hospital that same day and promptly took up residence on the fold out bed in Bella's room. He seemed as reluctant to leave her as I was. Although his demeanor and sense of humor were very much the same as always, his thoughts were quite a bit more serene than normal. He spent a large part of the day on the phone rescheduling tour dates. Obviously with two members of the band incapacitated, the remaining Houston shows had been cancelled. Bella had put up quite a fight when JP'd suggested that they cancel all the Texas shows. She was insistent that they finish what they could now and then come back to do the Houston shows at a later date. The entire band had been in on the discussion and finally, it was agreed that Jane would take up residence as the lead singer until Bella could return to performing and I would play the piano for the entire show. I was very hesitant to leave Bella for any length of time but gave in to her request when she assured me that she would be at every single show, even if she couldn't perform. The band loved the idea of her getting to watch them and then being able to offer then suggestions as to how they might improve the show. My wife seemed genuinely thrilled at the idea of getting to watch me perform and I was powerless to deny her anything that could make her smile so brilliantly.

The fourth day was also the day that JP's predictions in the warehouse came to fruition. After Bella was given the clearance to get out of her bed and go to the restroom for her human moments, she had immediately tried pulled her legs from beneath the blankets and placed her feet on the ground. She'd made it two steps before she became dizzy and I'd caught her under her arms just as her knees buckled. Ever stubborn, she insisted that she would not be tied to the bed any longer than she had to and tried to pull away from me to continue her ten-foot journey to her temporary freedom.

So I went with her. She blushed magnificently as I steadfastly refused to leave the room. I was so elated to see her blush that I considered making her more embarrassed just to see it again. I tried to explain to her that it didn't matter to me and that I didn't consider it anything more than her body doing what it needed to, but she would hear none of it. In the end, she had made me turn my back to her while she took care of business but managed to curse under her breath the entire time. I'd opened the door and stepped out of the small lavatory to the riotous laughter of our family and the band alike. JP in particular seemed to find me going to the bathroom with her hysterical, going so far as to ask me if I'd wiped for her. While I had to agree with them that it was kind of funny, Bella refused to meet anyone's eye.

That was also the day that I realized just how odd the musical community was. The standard baskets and bouquets of flowers had begun to arrive almost immediately. By the time she'd been moved into a regular room, I was sure that there were florist shops in the city with less inventory than my wife's hospital room contained. Label executives, club owners, promoters and radio stations all tried to out-do each other with the size and intricacy of the flowers they sent to her. But the musicians…well, let's just say their taste ran a little more exotic.

In a single afternoon, she'd been sent three strip-o-grams. One male, one female and one that I truly couldn't tell the gender of. The stripper had very large surgically enhanced breasts but a back with enough hair to be considered in the same scientific category as a baboon. The traditional strip shows had made Bella blush profusely but the "thing" had simply grossed her out, as she put it. A balloon-wielding clown had also been sent in to cheer her up, but we learned the hard way that Bella had something of a phobia about clowns. She'd been dozing when it arrived and when she opened her eyes to the large red nose and painted face, she'd screamed bloody murder and then punched the poor guy squarely in the face with her tiny fist. The clown's ridiculous painted on smile was truly absurd as he held his bloody nose and cussed his way out the door. I had actually fallen off the bed laughing at that particular event and Emmett had sworn to try and recreated it so that he could videotape the episode. He was convinced that he could mail the tape into a television show and win one hundred thousand dollars with it.

Several bands sent over instruments. This turned out to be the best of the gifts. Three acoustic guitars and two portable keyboards gave both the band and myself a form of entertainment for those stretches of time that the medications took over and Bella slept. Dimitri had continued with his guitar lessons every night of our stay and with his help, I had created a gift of my own to give to her when the time was right.

The strangest of the gifts came from two bands that EverClear had toured with during the years. Metallica sent a gigantic basket from their tour dates in New Orleans that was filled with a wide assortment of "gothic" voodoo dolls, various animal bones and dried spices to go hand in hand with various curses that were written out in a stilted scrawl on several slips of paper. Everyone in the room, myself included, had delighted in picking an idol from the basket and stabbing it repeatedly with the long thick pins that accompanied the strange gift. It was only when Felix had stabbed himself rather than the effigy and Rose's eyes had darkened significantly that the basket was put away.

But the gift from Tool had topped them all. Very late in the afternoon, a deliveryman had dropped off a basket that contained not only a portable DVD player and speakers, but also a copy of every conceivable vampire movie known to modern film. Emmett and Rosalie had found this particular gift hysterical. Apparently my wife had developed a reputation for being enthralled with vampires during the years. She had blushed profusely as she dug through the dozens of discs with the same glee a child would show at Christmas. She'd actually squealed when she'd found a copy of a romantic vampire movie that had recently been released and proclaimed that her favorite actor was the hottie vampire lead in the movie as she hugged the case to her chest. The tiny tee shirt featuring the movie's logo that the movie had been wrapped in had quickly replaced the stiff hospital gown that she'd worn since she had been placed in the recovery room after surgery.

Every day brought more and more improvement to her condition. Her color slowly returned to her peaches and cream skin, her eyes regained some of their shine and her voice returned to the soft lilting music that we all adored. Her hospital room was something of a party zone during visiting hours. Chip lovingly brushed and braided her hair every day to keep it out of her face and Alice seemed determined to smuggle every conceivable form of her favorite foods into the hospital room, going so far as to don a maternity dress in order to smuggle an entire bag of sushi for her to enjoy. Every night as the staff shooed the half dozen or so people that congregated in her room out until morning brought a peaceful routine for the two of us. After her human needs had been seen to, still with me accompanying her, we would climb into the bed and simply hold each other. During those quiet hours with her nestled against my chest as I lay beside her, it was almost possible to believe that I was also able to sleep. The peaceful setting, the quiet of the hallways and the lack of thoughts coming from the surrounding rooms gave me a chance to simply be with my wife. I would match my breathing to hers, close my eyes and let my body relax with her safely in my arms. I spent many hours just stroking her hair, kissing her softly and listening to the returning sleep talk. She would occasionally have a nightmare and it wasn't difficult to determine what it was about. But as she woke from each one, she would nuzzle her nose into my neck and allow me to comfort her. These were my favorite times of our stay. It still awed me that the incredibly strong woman in my arms had chosen to give herself to me, wanted me and I treasured each moment that I was graced with her presence.

I returned my gaze from the hideous food on the tray to her breath-taking eyes as she waited for me to give in to her pleas.

"Baby, you need to eat a little bit," I half-heartedly tried to convince her.

"Alice will be here soon, she'll have something good for me," she said with a conspiring smile.

I laughed as I acknowledged the truth in her words. I had just pushed the rolling tray away from the bed when the doctor, followed by Carlisle, came into the room. The human that had monitored her so closely the last several days smiled widely at the abandoned tray and then at her. Carlisle's thoughts were calm and it instantly relaxed me.

"Not a fan of our cuisine?" the doctor asked sarcastically. "I wouldn't be either if I had the room service you do."

She blushed at getting caught in her against-regulation entrees but didn't break his gaze. He spent the next several minutes explaining that her test results looked better every day, her progress was ahead of what he'd been expecting and that if nothing changed, she would be released the next day. I don't know which of the two of us was more excited at her prognosis but it was a relief to think of getting her out of the sterile environment.

"Any questions?" he inquired as he shut her clipboard and looked at her expectantly.

"Yeah, can I take a shower? I feel disgusting."

The doctor laughed along with Carlisle and me at her request. She had continually fussed about not being allowed to bathe herself, having to settle for Chip or myself doing the honors with a sponge and some warm water. The round man looked at Carlisle as if looking for his advice. Carlisle shrugged and then crossed the room to her bedside. He leaned in and kissed her forehead before settling his hand on her shoulder and looking at her sternly.

"Only if you'll let someone accompany you into the bathroom. I know you feel better but you are still being given a lot of medications and well, Sweetheart, you're not exactly know for your balance even without the help of modern pharmaceuticals."

I really did try not to laugh at his logic. I knew as the roars left my mouth that she would feign anger, but I could not stop it. The doctor joined in and egged my hysteria on even further. Carlisle smiled as she nodded her consent to his request. With a final peck on the tip of her nose and an assurance that he would return in a little while with her release information, he turned to leave the room with the doctor right behind him.

"Alice will be here in a little while, Baby. Can you wait that long?"

The look on her face took me by surprise. She seemed genuinely hurt as she stared wide-eyed at me. It took me a second to realize why she seemed so taken aback.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"Edward, you've let me puke on you, fed me and watched me pee. I think at this point helping me shower is the least embarrassing thing I've needed you for. Besides…" she trailed off as she ran a finger lightly down my chest, "I was hoping you wouldn't just come into the bathroom with me. I was hoping you'd come into the shower with me."

I stared incredulously at her. For eight days, I'd thought of nothing but my wife, but not once had I thought of her that way. I'd been much to concerned with her recovery and comfort to spare any thought on that part of our life. But apparently, she didn't feel the same way. And who was I to deny her?

"Baby, I don't think…" I tried very half-assed to convince her not to push herself.

"Stop thinking Edward. I'm not suggesting that we do anything. I just need to feel you. All of you. I miss the way you feel," she finished quietly.

I leaned in and kissed her as she finished her sentence. I missed her too and now that the idea had presented itself, I wanted nothing more than to feel her pressed against me. I scooped her up in my arms as gently as possible. She wrapped her left arm around my neck and smiled lovingly at me. I stopped briefly to pick up a small plastic bag that had originally held one of the numerous take-out feasts but would now become a shield against the water for her cast. We stepped into the small bathroom, our eyes never leaving each other. I set her down softly on the small counter top and she nodded to the lock on the door. With my best crooked smile, I turned the small lock and then returned my gaze to the amazing woman before me.

The toddler sized tee shirt she still wore hung loosely from her body. Her tiny frame, always so delicate, seemed much more frail in the week her body had fought its way toward recovery. I quickly turned the handles of the faucet to a comfortable temperature before returning my attention to back to her. With as little jostling as possible I lifted the hem of her shirt. She never made a sound as she lifted her arms enough for me to remove the stretchy cotton from her body but the intense pain that flashed across her face did not go unnoticed. I quickly wrapped the plastic over the cast that covered her entire arm to the elbow and then slowly helped her off the counter before I shed my own clothing as quickly as possible.

We stepped into the warm water and I heard her sigh softly into the steam. I guided her arm until her plastic wrapped cast rested on the metal railing attached to the tiled wall. I stepped behind her and angled my body so that the warm soothing water could make its way over her aching muscles.

"Edward, please," she whispered, her eyes closed so as to allow her to take in the relaxing feel of the water more fully. I knew what she was asking me for and in truth; I longed for the same thing.

I pressed my body against her back as I wrapped my right arm around her waist. She immediately leaned back, closing all distance between us. I was hesitant to move my hand from her hipbone as we stood together. The angry bruising that covered both sides of her torso from the broken ribs stood out in stark contrast to the pale skin below and there were still several places that were swollen. The incision from the chest tube was uncovered but the stitching screamed a loud reminder of how close I'd come to losing her.

"I love you," I moaned into her neck as I placed a reverent kiss on the delicate skin behind her ear. I gently began too move my soap covered hand over her skin as I continued to kiss along her neck and shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked so quietly that I almost had to strain to hear her.

"Anything."

"If my heart had stopped beating in the ambulance…"

"Yes. I would have changed you right then. I want it to be your decision as to the when or how, but if you'd begun to slip away from me, I would have found a way to change you."

She said nothing at my confession but turned her head toward me and kissed me. This was not one of the quick simple kisses of the prior week. This was a deeper, albeit still soft, kiss. Her tongue lazily made its way into my own mouth and I welcomed it. We stood in the water for a long time, just enjoying the feel of the warmth and of each other. I washed her as gently as possible, taking my time to try and ease some of the discomfort from her muscles wherever possible. There was nothing sexual about our time together. But it was a sensual experience none the less.

When I felt her legs begin to shake slightly, I knew she'd been on her feet for too long. I quickly shut the water off and moved out of the slippery tub, my hands never leaving her body. She stepped into the waiting towel I held out for her and then moved to lean her head against my chest. I sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and immediately pulled her toward me. She surprised me when she straddled my lap rather than sat sideways, but I was delighted at the feel of her miniscule weight on my legs. She leaned her body fully against mine, the coarse fibers of her stitches tickling my chest. I wrapped another towel around her shoulders to keep her warm and we simply sat there for an immeasurable amount of time. I was slightly shocked when I felt her breathing change and realized that she'd fallen asleep. Her body was still fighting with every ounce of its strength to heal and the brief excursion had drained her of any remaining energy. I kissed the side of her face just as a quiet knock on the bathroom door echoed through the tiny room.

"Edward, I brought you guys some clean clothes. If you'll unlatch the door, I'll hand then to you," Alice's tinkling voice sounded from the other side of the lavatory. The room was so small that I had to do nothing except stretch my arm out to reach the lock. In the same moment that I turned the bolt, Alice stepped partially into the room. She looked at my wife, sleeping deeply and smiled.

"She's so hard headed. I could have told her that it would wear her out," she said with a smile as I shifted Bella slightly to pull the gray Forks High School shirt over my chest.

"It wouldn't have mattered if she did know. I think she needed this. She's ready to be released and is getting stir crazy."

"I know. Here, give her to me and you get dressed," my sister laughed as Bella whimpered slightly into my chest. Her small arms wrapped around the unconscious form of my wife quickly and then cradled her much the same way I had. In the small space of time it took me to finish dressing, Alice had managed to return Bella to her bed and was slowly pulling one of my cotton shirts over her body.

Bella didn't stir so much as an inch during the entire exchange.

The standard list of guest arrived over the next couple of hours and still she slept. Alice and I had stretched out on the makeshift bed and had been joined by Jasper, Emmett and Rose over the next hour. Esme arrived shortly after our fifth game of Gin and was followed by Dimitri, Felix and Jane and Chip. The mood of the band was electric as they filed in and I had a sneaking suspicion that they were up to something. The images I pulled from the minds of our friends were not only hysterical but slightly disturbing as well.

I was still laughing when Sleeping Beauty woke up.

"What's so funny?" she asked in a sleep-tinged voice as she tried to stretch but stopped mid-movement at the pain. I was across the room and in the bed with her before she could finish the sentence.

"You'll see," I chuckled as she kissed me.

Everyone took their turn hugging her or kissing her as she wiped the remaining sleep from her eyes. Jasper took up his honorary position at the foot of the bed and Emmett had settled himself into the large pink chair to her right. The smirks on the faces of her band mates gave away that they had something in store for her. She cocked her eyebrow expectantly at them as she waited for someone to let her in on the joke.

"Bitch," Dimitri began as he took up use of JP's nickname for her, "we've got a present for you."

"It's not another freakin' clown is it," she asked hesitantly as a small shudder ran down her spine at the thought. The laughter of every one in the room as they recalled the prize fight with the last clown was probably to loud for hospital regulations but felt good after so many days of quiet seriousness,

No one answered but they exchanged knowing smirks with each other. Bella cocked her eyebrow again at her friends and had just opened her mouth to question them further when the door opened a crack. A small silver jam box came sliding across the floor of the hospital room with a strange song blaring from the speakers. The high pitched voice of the female singer was piercing in the quiet of the hospital. Dimitri leaned down and picked up the portable stereo and placed it on the edge of the table directly beside her bed. The look on his face as he looked at her was nothing short of a shit-eating grin.

The harsh grunge beat of the song picked up as the door to the room flew open with too much force and slammed into the wall. Standing in the doorway mouthing the lyrics of the song was the most ridiculous sight that I had ever seen. My wife screamed with shock before laughing hysterically. Emmett's booming guffaw was loud enough to rattle the windows. Alice and Rose clung to each other as they laughed to the point of hysteria and Jasper actually fell off the bed.

JP stood in the doorframe singing the bizarre song. But that was the least humorous thing about his appearance. He was dressed in an old fashioned nurse's uniform complete with white paper hat perched atop his dread locks. The dress he wore was very short and unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, leaving several of his tattoos visible as well as a smattering of chest hair. He wore the thick-soled white shoes to complete the outrageous costume. But the most surprising and ridiculous part of his appearance was the way he was dancing.

He was doing an overly exaggerated strip tease complete with painful looking hip thrusts and gyrations. He slinked over to the bed and "danced" for Bella in a truly ridiculous manner. He turned his back to her and thrust his butt toward her as he continued to sing the insane lyrics of the song. She was laughing so hard that the bed actually shook, even as Jasper peered over the mattress from his position on the floor. Tears poured from her eyes and she clutched her side tightly. She was obviously laughing hysterically and shuddering in pain at the same time. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to still her form, but the impromptu performance that JP was giving was too much to quiet.

Noting the displeased look on my face as Bella winced through her laughter, JP turned his attention to Emmett. He continued to sway his hips and thrust his pelvis as he moved toward the chair that my brother occupied. In true Emmett form, he pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and waved them at the insane musician that was now crawling on his hands and knees toward him. As the song continued, JP climbed into the chair, placing his feet on either side of Emmett's huge legs. He slowly and ridiculously unbuttoned the remaining buttons of his costume. He draped the fabric over Emmett's shoulder and stood before him, still gyrating, in nothing but the paper hat, shoes and white underwear with a large Red Cross emblem directly over his dick.

**But you don't love me**

**Anymore**

**How can it be**

**Look at what you've done to me**

Everyone in the room was incoherent with laughter. I tried with all my might to keep Bella still but I was laughing too hard to control myself, much less anyone else. My sisters were whistling and hooting at JP and Emmett. Poor Jasper was nearly retarded with laughter, not only his own but the overwhelming craziness of everyone in the room. Even the members of EverClear, having years of experience with JP's warped sense of humor, could not control themselves. The noise level, between the strange song and the hoots we were all making, was apparently enough to attract the attention of the doctors.

I tried to warn everyone that we were about to have company, but the scene was simply out of control. I watched as the surgeon that had taken such wonderful care of Bella, her pulmonary specialist and Carlisle entered the room and then stopped dead in their tracks. Carlisle's thoughts were stunned and somewhat embarrassed but highly amused at the same time. The other two men were simply too shocked at the scene to have any coherent thoughts. Dimitri clumsily pressed the buttons of the jam box while trying to reign himself in, but only managed to knock the stereo off the table and send it crashing into the floor.

"What that fuck," JP whined as he stood still towering over Emmett's lap while Emmett snorted continuously. He twisted his body toward Dimitri, who lost what little composure he had, and came face to face with the three professional men who were all staring dumbstruck at him. "What's up Docs?" There wasn't a single ounce of embarrassment or shyness in the wild man as he leapt from the chair and stood in front of them in nothing but his hat and underwear.

Carlisle looked like he'd choked on something as he tried to not laugh. JP caught his expression and grinned wickedly at him.

"Daddy C, I got a question for ya'"

"Um," Carlisle cleared his throat as he tried to answer. "What can I do for you JP?"

"Can I get a script for some of that pain shit you been giving me?"

"Are you still hurting?" my father asked him seriously. The doctor in him took over immediately as he stared at JP, all traces of humor gone.

"Naw, nothing like that. I just really dig the dreams I've been having on the meds. Like last night, I dreamt I was at a dinner party. And there was a choir of a hundred Spanish midgets dressed in real bright parkas and wearing sombreros. They sang 'Goodnight Irene' in these little Munchkin Land voices while we ate. It was really freakin' cool."

For the first time in days, the room went completely quiet out of sheer shock. A split second later, everyone in the room, the doctors included, howled with laughter. Carlisle clapped his hand on JP's shoulder and stared at him with a very stern expression while the rest of us cackled with unconfined laughter.

"JP," Carlisle began, "not even if your head was on fire."

**Chapter Notes: A couple of random notes. Bella's fear of clowns is my own phobia. Seriously, who in the hell thinks clowns are really funny or entertaining? I just get completely creeped out by them. Also, the dream JP had is an actual dream I had several nights ago. I would love to find out what a dream analyst would have to say about that one! Let me know what you think. **


	19. Chapter 19Bella's Fellas

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**Long ass author's note ahead, sorry.**

**First, let me say that I was thrilled to find out that I am not the only person in the world with a clown phobia. Apparently, most of you either agree with me or know someone that does. Great minds apparently do think alike.**

**Second, I got the info on The Moonlight Awards and just let me say…HOLY SHIT! Special thanks to Jattyca for nominating EverClear for Best Bella. The other stories in this category are phenomenal. Ninapolitan's ****The Bella Swan Diaries**** and Tara Sue Me's ****The Submissive**** are long time staples on my Favorites list. To be mentioned in the same category as these two is astounding. Please check out the site (ok, so don't check it out, log on and vote!!) and the amazing stories that are nominated. The link is themoonlightawards (dot) yolasite (dot) com or just type "The Moonlight Awards" into Google.**

**Playlist:**

**EverClear set one is in place for the first few songs, then we need to change it up a bit.**

**Freak on a Leash-Korn (the original version, not the unplugged)**

**I'd Come for You-Nickleback**

**Far Away-Nickleback**

Chapter 19-Bella's Fellas

BPOV

"Edward! Stop fidgeting," I fussed as he tugged at the tight black tee shirt for probably the thousandth time in the last hour. He smiled distractedly at me before dropping his hands to his side.

"How in the hell do you do this every night?" he asked as his hands tried valiantly to return to pulling at the apparently offensive material.

"You'll be fine, Baby. Better than fine, you'll be incredible," I tried to reassure him before I kissed him. I felt him relax more and more with every second that our lips were connected. His twitchy hands wound themselves around my lower back and pulled me close to him. I leaned heavily against him and wrapped my arms, cast and all, around his neck. He broke the kiss and looked at me with a genuine smile gracing his face.

"Thank you," he said quietly as he leaned his forehead against mine. "I needed that."

I stepped away from him just a little and took in his appearance. He was always beautiful, but sweet Jesus he looked down right criminal tonight. The tight black shirt he wore left not a single perfect ab or pec to the imagination. His arms looked enormous as they strained against the fabric that really needed to be balled up on the floor behind him. But the pants? Fuck me running; the leather pants Chip had dressed him in were simply to die for. Even from a distance, there was no doubting exactly what hid beneath the butter-soft leather. I couldn't help but stare at the outline of one of my favorite parts of his anatomy as he stepped just an inch away from me and turned to look at the door behind him. Every time he moved, my jaw literally dropped open at the rock solid ass that I was dying to sink my teeth into. Finished off with a pair of unlaced combat boots and his crest around his wrist, he looked nothing short of sinful.

"Um, I'm not a piece of meat," he teased as he caught me once again ogling him.

"I can't help myself, you're just so fucking perfect," I said as seductively as possible as I slid my hands around his waist and then down to cup his ass. The feel alone was enough to make me forget any amount of pain that moving my hand triggered, but knowing what exactly was pressing against my leg as I pulled him closer to me was enough to send me straight into a frenzied mess of hormones.

I'd tried several times in the three days since I'd been released from the hospital to jump start the physical part of our relationship again, but my ever sensible husband had put the brakes on it each and every time. Five years ago, I would have been convinced that it was because he couldn't stand the sight of my battered body. But I knew better now. His love for and devotion to me was unwavering. It was simply a matter of his concern for my injuries.

But that didn't change the fact that I was frustrated as hell. Not to mention horny.

The click of the door startled **me** from my inner musings but not him. He'd obviously heard the footsteps or maybe the thoughts of whomever it was that had interrupted my extremely pleasurable exploration of his body. Without loosening my hands, I looked around him to spy JP standing in the open door way with a highly amused look on his face. He, too, was dressed in head to toe black but the effect just wasn't the same. JP looked every inch the musician but Edward looked like every girl's fantasy rock star.

In three long strides, my bass player crossed the room and threw his arms around Edward's upper body from behind. I could feel my husband's body shake with silent laughter as JP rested his chin on Edward's shoulder and peered at me, grinning like a maniac. I still had a hard time looking at him and seeing anything other than Nurse Ratchet, but he was so obviously keyed up about something that it was easy to be distracted.

"Ya' know," he said with a perfectly serene face, "I been waitin' years for your hands to be that close to my dick. But it kinda' looses the effect when they're grippin' another dude's ass."

"Eww," Edward and I chorused as I stepped back and he stepped forward and away from JP, who laughed loudly at our discomfort.

Edward looked down at me and pulled the left side of his mouth into his signature lop-sided grin before moving to stand beside me. His arm was slung casually around my shoulder and his free hand had resumed pulling at the hem of his shirt.

"So this is kinda fucked up, huh?" JP said in a much more serious tone of voice. "You not being up there tonight," he unnecessarily amended. I'd known exactly what he was referring to. I'd learned to speak "JP" a long time ago and I knew that his words were a cover for his real feelings of distress and discomfort with playing without me.

"Yeah, but on the plus side, I don't have to strip tonight," I teased, hoping to lighten the mood. The last thing that the show needed was an emo JP.

We all chuckled but it didn't escape my notice that Edward's hand gripped me just a little tighter against his side. I hadn't really considered how odd it would feel to watch my friends ready themselves for a show without me. It was disconcerting how detached I felt from the group. And from Edward. The selfish part of me wanted him next to me all night, but the logical side knew that his being on stage was the only way to salvage the show. I'd thought I put on a pretty convincing show of enthusiasm in the hospital and no one, not even my sometimes annoyingly observant husband, had questioned me on it. But the truth was I had an ulterior motive for wanting them perform without me.

While it was true that I couldn't perform per doctor's orders, I wanted to see how the band would do without me. From the first coherent moments I'd been aware of in the hospital, a single thought had snaked its way in and out of my thoughts. My conversation with Edward in the shower had only given that thought more definition. The idea had even invaded my dreams on several occasions and with each day that passed; it had consumed more and more of my time.

Immortality. I wanted it. More and more with each passing day. From that very first conversation in the car on the way to our wedding, I'd longed for it. I wanted to be Edward's equal in every way. I wanted to stand beside him and face whatever obstacles were placed before us, not cower behind him. He no longer looked at me as a helpless being, but there was not denying that I was still the damsel in distress. At least as far as the Cullen clan went. The stitches that had only begun to dissolve away gave testament to that fact. I wanted his life of endless experience and unlimited time for discovering the world together. In short, I wanted him. Always.

EverClear was the only reason I'd yet to ask him for it. I loved my band mates dearly and I adored the release that the music gave me. But I didn't have to give up my music to become like Edward. In fact, my music would only get better, offer more comfort. I wouldn't miss the performances or the business end of this life or the endless touring, but I would miss the band. They had become my family over the years. Even with the baggage that I brought to the group, they had loved me, comforted me and accepted me.

But my place in this world was with Edward. I think I'd known that from the very beginning of our relationship all those years ago. He was my destiny, my fate. As corny as the words felt to think, they were true. I'd been put on this Earth for Edward and he'd been spared so long ago for me. My life only felt complete with him. And I didn't want to share that life with the band forever. Besides the fact that it would be impossible to do so, I couldn't share that with EverClear. That part of my life was meant for the two of us only.

"Yo! Bitch! You with us?" JP yelled as he waved his hand in front of my eyes. I blinked rapidly and then focused on his amused expression. "Daddy C hooked you up didn't he?"

"You okay?" the smooth velvet voice whispered into my ear. I looked into his shining eyes and nodded. He leaned forward and kissed me softly as his hand rubbed up and down my back soothingly.

The gagging noise from two feet away interrupted us just as the loud knock on the door warned them that it was time. The three of us moved into the hallway after Edward grabbed the small pillow that he'd insisted I bring with me. I'd found since my release that if I gripped the pillow tightly to my torso, I could move without quite so much pain.

"How's Jane?"

"Oh, she's flipping the fuck out," Dimtri answered as he met us in the hallway. He looked much less nervous than JP as he punched Edward on the shoulder in greeting and then shook his hand out lightly, obviously not considering how granite hard his skin was.

"Poor thing. Where is she?" I asked as JP nodded his head toward the side of the opposite side of the stage. Even from the enormous distance, I could see that she was wringing her hands and pacing. She was obviously nervous but I knew that she could do it. I felt terrible that she was dealing with such a case of nerves, but there really was no way around it. Besides, I rationalized, a little nerves made for a more intense show.

"You ready to be a spectator?" Dimitri asked as we neared the edge of the stage. I had spied Alice and Chip waiting for me at the very edge, both of them looking a little too pleased with themselves for my comfort. The roar of the crowd was almost deafening as we neared the edge of the stage and I could feel the familiar adrenaline spike in my body. The problem was I had no idea what to do with the surge that rushed through my body at the ever increasing noise.

"God, I wish I could hear inside your head. I can't wait to see what you think of 'Freak'" Edward laughed as he caught JP's impish grin.

Edward had insisted that I not accompany him to the rehearsal earlier in the afternoon. He sited both my need to rest and his desire to surprise me as the reasoning behind not allowing me to watch the sound check. True to form, I'd been drugged heavily by my overly protective husband and then left in the hotel room with no less than four Cullens. Carlisle and Esme had flown back to Oregon earlier in the day. They had both seemed reluctant to leave, but Carlisle's duties at the hospital couldn't be postponed much longer now that I was thoroughly on the mend. When I'd protested being left behind, Jaz had hit me with a wave of exhaustion so powerful that I'd slept for nearly five hours. When I'd awoken with a very pissed off demeanor, he'd simply smiled angelically and shrugged his shoulders, knowing good and well that I wouldn't be able to stay mad at him.

So I had no idea what was in store for the evening.

"What did you do to my song?" I asked as JP slung the strap of his bass over his shoulder.

"Oh, Dimitri and I just reworked the song a little. Jane didn't really feel comfortable with the runs at the end."

The sly look on his face told me there was more to it than a simple reworking of the melody, but I didn't fight him on it. I would find out soon enough.

I turned to face Edward, who looked both excited and terrified at the same time. On anyone else, the look would have been comical, but on my gorgeous husband…it just made him look sexier than hell.

"You're going to be great," I tried again to soothe him. His eyes cut to me and then toward the stage as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Don't leave my sight," he plead quietly as he stared into my eyes. The power of his gaze was so intense that I momentarily felt stunned.

"You know where I'll be. And I'll meet you here at the intermission."

He beamed at me as I repeated the words he'd spoken to me the last night of our Atlanta performance. He kissed me quickly but with more passion than I'd expected. I threaded my hands through his hair and pulled him closer as I tried to deepen the kiss. He groaned into my hungry mouth and then pulled back slightly.

"Are you trying to send me on stage with a hard on," he whispered into my ear as he hugged me tightly to his chest.

"Enough, it's time you moved your asses," Chip interrupted before I could respond. The smug look on his face was tinged with worry as I stepped out of Edward's arms and grasped his out stretched hand. I wrapped my arm around his waist and Alice threaded her arm through mine. It probably looked like some demented version of the Wizard of Oz as the three of us made our way around the back of the stage.

The club in Dallas was very similar in size and design to the club in Atlanta. A very large room opened out in front of the stage and there were two floors of seating. A small section of the staging area had been corded off for us at the band's request. I had told them I was perfectly fine with sitting in the crowd but had been met with a chorus of protests, the loudest coming from Edward. He was adamant that I not be in a position to be jostled by the crowd, particularly after he'd witnessed the stampede in Houston. So rather than the second piano being set up on the left tower, there was a seating area and table for the Cullens and me.

We took our seats just as Jane sang the first line of "Going Under" and I was immediately pulled into the show. The feel of the crowd, while very different from this angle, was every bit as intense. But how anyone in the room could watch anything other than Edward was beyond me. Even in the dimmed lights and the haze of the synthetic fog that rolled across the stage, he looked utterly edible. When the lights came up revealing the band for the first time, I was giddy with excitement.

I knew this show inside and out, yet perched high above the familiar stage, I was entranced. Every song seemed better than the last; every note seemed more poignant than the previous. Jane sang her ass off. Her showmanship was different than mine but she was incredible. She sang with passion and intensity and the crowd responded to her every movement. JP and Dimitri were more energetic than I'd ever realized. They both ran back and forth around the stage, slinging their heads wildly and encouraging the crowd to yell louder or clap harder. Their voices were the perfect harmony to Jane's wailing and I realized that I'd never fully appreciated just how multitalented they both were.

But Edward. Holy crow, if there was ever a person made to perform, he was it. He was stunning. He had a stage presence that was undeniable. Every move of his body, every tilt of his head as he concentrated on the notes was utterly spell-binding. He continuously looked up into our little group but when he began the opening notes of "Imaginary", he threw me a smile so dazzling that everything else in my line of sight disappeared.

"I think you might be turning into a groupie, my dear," Chip laughed as I danced as much as possible in my seat, my pillow clutched tightly against my chest.

I nodded enthusiastically at his assessment. I noticed that behind me, Jasper and  
Alice were both on their feet dancing. Jasper stood directly behind my tiny sister with his hands resting on her hips and together they gyrated in perfect time to the music. When they noticed me staring, they both smiled and Alice leaned forward to peck me on the forehead. Rose was full on head banging right along with the crowd. If it hadn't been so funny to see restrained regal Rose thrashing her head in synchronicity with the music I would have openly gawked at her total lack of restraint. Emmett stood beside his wife simultaneously undressing her with his eyes and moving his own body to the music. Seeing my family clearly enjoying themselves was heart warming and I vowed to find a way to make sure that we could all, Edward included, let our hair down more often.

The show progressed exactly as it had for more than six months. I sang along with the songs as they played, I clapped and yelled when the crowd did and I stared unabashedly at the perfect man behind the piano every second of the show. Each and every time our eyes met, he would smile or wink at me and I felt like a school girl that had finally gained the attention of the popular boy she had a crush on. I still couldn't believe that he was mine, that he'd chosen me to spend his life with and that he had given himself to me so completely.

Jane had just finished "Last Breath" and stepped off stage when JP walked casually to the center mic. The crowd went wild as he smiled and then laughed at their exuberance. I'd known him long enough to recognize the devilish smile on his face and knew that I was about to hear the new version of "Freak", even if I hadn't known it was next in the line up. I peeked at Edward, who was astonishingly, wearing an almost identical grin on his face.

"So, I guess you guys have figured out that we're one short tonight," he called to the crowd. I felt my face flush as the spotlight zeroed in on the table that my family occupied on the left tower. The crowd screamed louder than ever as I raised my hand and waved to them hesitantly. On stage, I had no fear of the audience but I felt infinitely more exposed looking down from the platform. "We didn't know quite what to do with the next one we've got for ya' without our girl. So Dimitri," he nodded toward the towering guitar player who also stepped forward, "and I kinda redid it. Tell us if you like it."

The opening chords of "Freak" rang through the room and I felt my eyebrows shoot toward my hair line. The song was immediately recognizable but also completely different. There was a strange synthetic beat than ran underneath the familiar chords. JP sang the entire song with a wicked tone to his voice and I found myself loving it. He'd taken the chorus and turned it into a hard driving rhythm that was fascinating. I realized as he began the chorus for the second time that I was thrashing my head in time with the song. But what he did next stopped me in my tracks.

Where I would have normally done the first of the runs, he belted out the strangest collection of sounds and grunts I'd ever heard. It was almost like a robot sputtering out of control. The look on Edward's face was priceless. He made no attempt to contain his amusement with the display as he looked up at me. He was laughing hard enough to rock his body almost completely off the piano bench. He rolled his eyes dramatically before turning his attention to the mutating sounds coming from my idiotic bass player. I looked at Chip, who wore a less than amused look on his face. I didn't know whether to laugh at his display or cringe. I was still trying to decide which reaction to go with when I felt a tiny hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Jasper and Emmett, grasping onto each other, laughing like hyenas. Alice, however, looked like she'd just smelled something horrid. And Rose looked down right pissed off.

"Is there actually something wrong with him?" Alice asked seriously.

"What the fuck did he do to the song?" Rose spat.

I lost my composure at their indignant reactions and joined my brothers in their laughter. It was that very moment that the song took another dramatic turn. In a split second, Dimitri had joined JP at the front of the stage and the two of them turned the bluesy feel of the song into a thrashing hard-driving explosion. They slammed their heads back and forth with a ferocious amount of force, all the while, JP's bizarre sounds continued.

By the time the song came to a close, the crowd seemed almost too stunned to react. There was a breath of quiet before the cheering started. As strange as the middle section had been, the song was fabulous and the audience was enthusiastic about showing their acceptance of it having been "JP'd". I clapped loudly and screamed right along with them. JP and Dimitri looked up at me, eyebrows raised, and then beamed at my reaction. They both looked very pleased that I wasn't ragging angry about the distinct changes they had made.

"Okay, okay, you guys shut up for a minute," Dimitri called into the mic. While they didn't exactly shut up, the volume of the crowd did drop enough for them to continue. I took my seat again, expecting Jane to reappear and continue with "Cloud Nine". But instead of Jane walking toward the front of the stage Edward rose from behind the piano and moved front and center.

"What's going on?" I asked to anyone that could answer but before I could get a reply, JP began to talk again.

"So, you'd have to be in a cave or under a rock to not know what happened to EverClear about two weeks ago," he began. I felt a light sweat break out on the back of my neck.

It was true enough that we'd gotten a ridiculous amount of press after the attack. Somehow, the full extent of the attack and Edward's involvement had not been made public. But my and JP's injuries and Sebastian's actions had been front and center on every prime time news cast since that horrible morning. I'd been spared the worst of the media frenzy, thanks to my drug-induced stupor, but with Sebastian's arraignment coming up and the return of EverClear to the stage, there was still enough coverage to drive me insane.

The sales of both the first album and the new one had taken a sharp turn upward as a result of all the coverage and for that I was thankful. The shows were now completely sold out for the remaining two weeks of our tour and our Seattle homecoming show had been moved to a bigger venue to accommodate the surge in requests for tickets. It amazed me that it took something so terrible for the band to finally get the recognition we'd all worked so hard for but it was nice to feel that some good had come from the entire experience.

"We had a lot of time in the hospital to work on a few things and we've got a couple of brand new songs for you guys tonight," he continued. Edward was looking directly at me, JP and Dimitri flanking him at the front of the stage and smiling gloriously. He seemed about to burst with excitement over whatever they were about to play. "While we hope you guys like this one, we wrote it for one person and one person only. Bella, this one is to you Baby, written by your man and played for you by your fellas."

Dimitri began an unfamiliar chord as I stared at the stage. My eyes had already pricked at the dedication JP had given me and I nearly fell out of my chair as Edward stepped forward to the mic and grasped the stand confidently. When he opened his mouth, his voice caressed the entire room with its silken tones and I felt my own body flush with love.

Just one more moment

**That's all that's needed**

**Like wounded soldiers**

In need of healing

Edward's voice rang out across the huge room with absolute perfection. He not only looked perfectly composed but sounded incredible. As I listened to the lyrics, the tears that had threatened to fall moments earlier ran down my cheeks with abandon. It was beautiful. As the rest of the band joined in, the song became more and more poignant. Edward had turned his body toward the area of the stage we were sitting in and sang directly to me.

His beautiful words combined with the raw emotion of his voice would have moved anyone listening. But knowing that the words were meant for me alone filled me with a love that couldn't be contained. I slid to the very edge of my seat as he continued and simply smiled as the words washed over me. When he reached the chorus, I didn't think I could be any more emotional. But as all three of the men on the stage turned to face me, huge smiles on their faces, I realized how mistaken I'd been. The words that enveloped me nearly brought me to my knees when combined with the looks of love that they all were wearing.

I'd come for you

**No one but you**

**Yes, I'd come for you**

**But only if you told me to**

**I'd fight for you**

**I'd lie its true**

**Give my life for you**

You know I'd come for you

I absolutely sobbed as I realized where the words had come from. I had a hazy recollection of lying on the cold concrete floor of that warehouse repeating my sheer terror that Edward had come after me. That he'd come for me. As I rose from my chair, I felt two solid arms wrap around me from either side and looked to see the faces of my brothers grinning down at me. I clasped my hands over my mouth in a vain attempt to calm my bubbling emotions. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the men on the stage that made up my world.

Dimitri had been so loyal for so long, sticking with us even when other bands tried to lure him away. He'd always been the calm in the middle of the EverClear hurricane and he'd been such a true friend. Never the loudest or most boisterous of the group, he was always the one that could be counted on to lend a hand when needed or a comforting arm when I needed to cry.

JP. Jesus, JP had been my constant companion for years. Literally from the first night we'd met, we'd been nearly inseparable. JP was border line insane in his antics but he was more family than my mother was. He was loud and bold and very in your face, but he'd always been my rock. We'd spent hours together writing and talking and crying and laughing and fighting. He was on the fringe of every memory I had over the last four years and in the center of the very best of those memories. He was the side of my personality that had allowed me to step onto the stage the first time and the other part of my heart that had let me hold onto Edward for all those bleak years.

Then there was Edward. I would never in a hundred life times be able to adequately describe what Edward was to me. He was everything. Love and life and happiness and comfort and understanding and desire all rolled into the flawless package of amber eyes and bronze hair. As beautiful as he was on the outside, he was so much more on the inside. I nearly worshipped everything about him and he, in return, felt the same way about me. He'd made me realize that I was stronger than I'd ever thought that I was beautiful and talented. But above it all, he'd shown me through his every word and action what love looked and felt like.

I swayed on my feet from the force of the emotions spiking in my heart as I realized he was walking toward the stairs of the platform. He continued with the most open honest lyrics I'd ever heard, his gaze never leaving me. As he sang, he smiled and I almost burst with happiness. As he reached the top of the stairs, I felt one of the arms around me urge me toward him. I needed no convincing to step into his open embrace. He wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me against him as the lyrics once again brought forth a torrent of tears with their sheer beauty.

So if your ever lost

**Inside yourself all alone**

**I'd search forever**

**Just to bring you home**

**Here and now**

This I vow

Through the breath-taking chorus he led the two of us down the stairs and onto the stage. With a casual grace that was uncomprehendable he led me slowly round the stage. He steered me toward Felix first, standing behind his drum kit and singing the chorus right along with the others. Then he pulled me toward the front center of the stage where a stool had been placed. He gripped my hip and lifted me gently onto the stool facing the audience. Dimitri and JP closed the distance from their respective sides of the stage and stood directly in front of me. Edward joined them in front of me and together the three of them sang with their backs to the audience. The various levels of affection that gleamed in their eyes as they sang to me; friend, brother and soul mate all spoke to me heart in such powerful ways. As they closed the song, the audience behind them roared.

Dimitri stepped forward and hugged me first. The steady stream of pure joy that ran from eyes as their gesture soaked his tee shirt as leaned his cheek down and rested it against the top of my head momentarily. The second Dimitri released me, JP took his place. His wiry arms wrapped around me and I felt him kiss my forehead. When he pulled back, he winked, told me he loved me and then released me. Edward stepped much closer than either of the other two and into the space between my knees. He cupped my face in his hands, the microphone still clutched between his fingers. The absolute devotion that shined from his every feature stilled my heart for a second before he leaned down and kissed me. It was a soft lingering kiss but more than enough for me to temporarily forget the thousands of people that surrounded us.

"That was from all of us," he whispered as he pulled away. I looked over his shoulder to see Marcus pulling another stool to the center of the stage. "This one is from me," he said as he folded himself gracefully onto the wooden seat before me.

The stage was dimmed until all the light that was left was a faint blue tint. A single spotlight shone down from directly above us, casting a soft light upon the two of us. Silently, Edward reached behind him and picked up an acoustic guitar that stood on a small silver stand. He balanced one foot on the wrung of the stool and placed the guitar expertly on his knee. His fingers, so elegant and magical began to strum the strings softly.

There could have been only the two of us left on the planet. I was torn between wanting to watch his fingers move confidently over the tightly strung fabric and his perfect face. The decision was made for me as the words he sang registered. Again, the tears flowed with amazing force as I stared into the eyes of my husband as he sang his love for me in front of the world.

Too long

**Too late**

**Who was I to make you wait**

**Just one chance**

**Just one breath**

Just in case there's just one leftCause you know, you know, you know

**I love you**

**I loved you all along**

**I miss you**

**So far away for far too long**

**I keep dreaming**

**You'll be with me**

**And you'll never go**

**Stop breathing**

If I don't see you anymore

**I** couldn't breathe as I listened to his very public, very open declaration for his love for me. I could feel my body shake as I stared in awe at the incredible man in front of me. I was only vaguely aware of the band as they played back up to Edward's gentle song. The words surrounded me, enveloped me and swathed me in his absolute love. The tears streamed in an incredible torrent down my cheeks. My face actually ached with the strain of the smile that I couldn't have contained if my life depended on it.

It was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. His voice, rough and silken at the same time conveyed everything that I'd always wished I could express to him. Time and space were forgotten as I watched his amazing dedication. I was sure that if my life ended at that moment, if the world ceased to exist, I would have died the happiest most loved person on the planet.

It didn't even register with me that I had no idea he'd learned to play the guitar. I was too entranced with the romantic honesty of the song to give any attention to the details of the revelation. As the song climbed toward its conclusion, I realized the lyrics had changed slightly.

I wanted

**I wanted you to say**

**I needed **

**I need to hear you say**

**That I love you**

**That I loved you all along**

**And I forgive you**

For being away for far too long

His desire for my love was equaled only by my need for his. The song was an apology, a vow of eternal love and a request for forgiveness all at the same time. Not wanting to interrupt the most perfect moment I'd ever spent on stage but needing to express my own emotions, I did the only thing that I could think of. I mouthed the words back to him silently. I hoped that he understood everything I wanted to say to him and if the venom in his eyes was any indication, he did.

As the gorgeous song came to a close, I wasn't sure that I could trust my legs to hold me. But I couldn't stand the small distance between us any longer. I threw myself into his chest as his left arm opened for me. I was only distantly aware of the guitar bumping against our legs as he kissed me. Fire and love and devotion all coursed between us as I wrapped my arms around his neck, probably scratching him with the plaster that encased my arm but needing to devour him. I heard the clatter of the guitar as he dropped it carelessly onto the stage and wound his now freed arm around me. He lifted me off the ground with no effort as his tongue slid slowly into my waiting mouth. I tilted my head to the side, hoping the angle would allow me further into the passion that consumed us.

The bright light above us dimmed to black as we tried to crawl inside of each other. Second only to the candlelight kiss of our wedding, this was the most profound expression of our love I'd ever felt. He'd thrown aside all reservation, all propriety and all restraint to show me through his music how he felt. Standing wrapped in the absolute blackness of the stage and surrounded by the thunder of the seemingly approving crowd, my decision became solidified.

He was all the air I would ever need, all the nourishment my body would ever require and all the desire that my heart could ever hold. I wanted, with my whole being, to never have to close my eyes to the blackness of sleep and the loss of his image. My life had been all about bringing us to this point and now that we were here, I didn't want to waste another second with mundane needs and actions.

I wanted him, forever.

And in the way that only he could fully appreciate.

Not the dreams of him as my body rested.

Not the thoughts of him when we were apart in order for me to fulfill the demands of my life.

As we were pulled off the stage, never once acknowledging anyone or anything but each other's bodies and emotions, I knew that my time as a mortal being was quickly coming to an end.

**Chapter Notes: Anyone smelling any citrus fruits after Edward's very public display of affection? I am. Let me hear what you think and I'll try to get another chapter out to you this week. **

**Also, a few of you have asked how many chapters we have left. I am estimating that this one will play out in 28 to 30 chapters, so we still have a ways to go. **

**Don't forget to check out the Moonlight Awards.**

**Love ya, Kelly**


	20. Chapter 20Acceptance

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**No long author's note here. I think you guys might have a clue what this chapter is about. **

**Special thanks to all of you that logged on to the Moonlight Awards and voted. The support you have all given EverClear never ceases to amaze me. I wish I could better express what you all mean to me, but unlike Edward, I don't have the words.**

**Playlist:**

**I'll Be Your Lover, Too- Van Morrison**

**(YouTube has a clip of the one and only Rob Pattinson singing this song that will really give you the visual of the chapter, but the Van Morrison original is so beautiful that I don't have the heart to recommend one over the other.)**

Chapter 20-Acceptance

EPOV

The show had been a success by anyone's standards. Except mine. And possibly Bella's. The songs were the same captivating melodies with the same emotional lyrics that had first drawn me to the music but it was not the same experience as having the music showcased by Bella's powerful voice. Without her raw emotions behind the delivery, the feel of the entire show was off. JP and Dimitri were astounding performers and extremely talented musicians but without Bella on stage, they had seemed somewhat contained. Jane's voice was undeniably beautiful and she sang with a precision that few performers could. But the entire show felt forced to me.

The truest part of the entire evening had been the two songs that Bella had been onstage with the band. Even though she didn't sing a note, her presence seemed to bring an energy to the show that had been lacking. Her reaction to the songs made me almost drunk with happiness and it was only for those brief minutes that EverClear seemed to truly come to life.

"I'd Come for You" was written as a collective effort by the three of us in the long hours of the days we'd spent in the hospital while Bella slept. The entire process had started as nothing more than tinkering with some of the gifts she'd been sent. But it had turned into so much more on the fourth night of our stay. Dimitri had been, yet again, teaching me basic chords and somewhere along the way, I'd heard the melody in my head. The two of them took the basic line of what I played and before my eyes molded it into the song we'd played for her. I'd been so grateful that they'd included me in the experience and had taken an immense amount of joy at seeing my wife so moved by our efforts. The lyrics had come, just as she assumed, from her own lips that fateful night and had translated easily for the three of us.

"Far Away" had been in my head for a while. It was actually the reason I'd asked Dimitri to teach me to play in the first place. From the first time I'd realized that Bella was EverClear, I'd wanted to return her open honesty with my own music. She had been so generous and vulnerable with her lyrics and I wanted to show her the same type of honor that she'd bestowed on me. What I hadn't expected was to be as overcome with my own emotions as I was. I'd sat on that hard stool and stared into the face of my personal savior as she wept with absolute elation and realized that nothing in the world was right without her. Not music, not happiness…nothing. I'd known that I could never be truly happy without her but it seemed that the universe felt the same way as I'd tried to sing my feelings to her.

The highlight of the show had been the twenty blissful minutes between the sets. As I finished her song, she'd thrown herself into my arms and kissed me with such passion that it made my knees weak. I had probably damaged the guitar as I'd dropped it, forgotten in the wake of the feel of her body pressed against mine, but I would just replace it if need be. I'd carried her back to the dressing room without ever losing contact with her soft lips. I'd been unwilling to break apart from her for even the slightest moment as I made our way down the hallway and into the small room that smelled of stale beer and sweat.

She'd nudged me toward the small couch on the far side of the room as soon as I'd shut the door with my hip and climbed into my lap, straddling me. There was no hurry or frantic pawing at each other. It was much more powerful than simple lust. We spent the entire time gently kissing and touching. All the words that hung in the air around us personified themselves with each caress and each soft moan. I'd been sorely tempted to blow off the rest of the show, wanting only to revel in my wife. But she had thankfully kept her head and insisted that I finish the show.

The band had been wired after the show and insisted that we all go to dinner afterwards. Bella had seemed hesitant to join them but they had begged and pleaded and even threatened until she'd finally relinquished. The small Mexican restaurant that we'd descended on was filled with the laughter and constant chatter of the band as they relived each song. I watched her intently as she picked at the food in front of her, noticing that her appetite had yet to return. The look on her face was an unusual one as she listened to the other members of her band regale the night's events. She'd laughed with the rest of them as JP'd climbed atop the bar and done his best imitation of PeeWee Herman, much to the displeasure of the owner. She'd answered every question thrown at her about the show and had graciously praised each member of the band.

But she was very guarded. Wistful almost. She seemed very far away from the round table filled with her friends and lost in her thoughts. It was only with me that she seemed to truly be present. Bella had never been shy about being affectionate but she seemed even more so as she impatiently finished the meal. She leaned into my side the entire time, softly stoked my leg even as she clumsily tried to navigate the fork with her casted hand and looked up at me every few seconds. I asked her more than once if she was all right, if she was in pain but she quietly assured me that we would talk later and that she was fine.

I was getting more and more anxious by the minute as to her strange mood as we finally finished up and said our good-byes to the rest of the group. They tried valiantly to convince us to join them for a few drinks, but she insisted that she was tired and simply wanted to return to the hotel. We both hugged and congratulated everyone one more time before I hailed a cab to take us back to the quiet sanctuary of our hotel room.

The moment the door closed on the taxi, she gripped the back of my head and pulled me to her. There was more urgency to her movements than there had been during intermission but she was still more loving than needful in her touches. I wanted to find out what was causing such an odd reaction from her, to talk to her but it had been so long since I'd been able to feel her that I gave in to my more selfish urges and simply reveled in her.

Once our journey was completed, we walked silently through the lobby and to the elevators. The quiet was beginning to truly concern me and I made my mind up to make her talk to me about whatever it was that had her so deep in thought once we were back in our room. With a click, the door shut behind me and I watched as she walked sinuously through the still dark living room and toward the bedroom without a word. I was still staring at her retreating form as she turned in the doorway and looked to the small fireplace in the living room.

"Will you cut the air on and make us a fire?"

The reserved expression she'd worn all night was replaced by a look of pure adoration as she waited for my answer. My steel determination to pry the bothersome information out of her melted in the space of a heart beat as I looked into her shining eyes and I found myself nodding mutely at her request.

"I'll be right back," she whispered as she closed the door to the bedroom, leaving me to my task.

Five minutes, an air conditioner that was set on sixty and the beginnings of a fire in the small brick cove of the wall, I found myself sitting on the couch staring at the flames as they danced to life. The small rumbling of the door handle caught my attention and I twisted my body around to find her emerging from the bedroom looking like a goddess.

She wore a simple deep blue satin gown that fell just to her upper thigh and hung on her shoulders by the thinnest of straps. The low neckline exposed her sharp collarbones and the very top edge of her breasts. A floor length blue satin robe surrounded her body and flowed freely as she walked quietly toward me, the flickering light of the fire casting her form in the most beautiful shadows I'd ever seen. Her hair hung in loose waves to her waist and her bare feet made no noise as she crossed the room toward me, that same love shining in her eyes. She was so incredibly beautiful that I didn't even notice the cast on her arm or the fact that I had stopped breathing.

"Bella?" I asked as I began to rise from the couch.

She shook her head from side to side and smiled gloriously at me, effectively halting me in mid-movement. With a grace and elegance that I rarely saw, she folded herself onto the couch, her feet tucked beneath her and into the crook of my arm where it was stretched out along the backside of the couch. She wrapped the robe around her legs loosely and leaned her head onto my bicep. The warmth of her body seeped into my skin, bringing with it a peaceful calm and a burning desire at the same time.

"Baby, what's going on in that beautiful head of yours? You've been off all night," I said as I turned my body to face her more fully and bent my arm at the elbow as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, effectively pulling her against my chest. Our faces were only inches apart but she made no move to kiss me. Instead she reached her left hand up and placed it on my check. Her thumb slowly moved back and forth across my cheekbone in a steady slow rhythm as she breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.

"Do you know what I did the entire second act?"

"You mean besides dance more than you should have and stare at me?"

"Yeah, besides that," she laughed as I leaned my head into her touch. "I watched the crowd. They loved every second of the show tonight. They were every bit as loud as they always were and they were every bit as into the music. It was seamless," she whispered.

I thought I realized what her words meant. The far away demeanor, the reminiscent expression on her face had not been because she was in pain or because she was upset. If I was right, Bella had begun to say goodbye to EverClear tonight.

"Bella, love, what are you saying?" I asked, needing to hear her say the words that would confirm my hunch.

"Edward, I'm ready. It will take some time to make sure that everything is in place, but I'm ready for us to begin our eternity."

She moved her body slightly so that her legs were situated across my lap while her feet remained tucked underneath her. She leaned in slowly, her eyes open and looking at me from beneath her lashes, expectation glinting in the deep brown of her irises. So softly that it barely registered, she touched her lips to mine. She pulled back just enough to grin at me before she closed the distance and kissed me harder.

I responded immediately, despite the turmoil that was brewing inside my head. I parted my own lips, inviting her tongue into my mouth and she immediately granted my request. The soft warm sensation as she slid into my mouth seductively was utter bliss and I felt the stirring in my lower body that had been a stranger for almost two weeks.

My mind swirled with a myriad of thoughts as I leaned further into her. A part of me was mournful at the thought of losing the blush of her cheeks, the rapid thundering of her heart when I touched her and the soft delicacy of her skin. Another lingering part was terrified that by giving her what she asked for I would be dooming her to a life she would abhor and a resentful hatred of me. But there was a part, and it was the part that pressed her tightly against my upper body as she kissed me, that could think of nothing better than to have her by my side forever.

"Stop worrying, Edward," she whispered against my neck as she slowly kissed her way to my collarbone. The surety of her lips against my skin was like no other feeling in the world. I pulled her tighter against my chest, trying not to place my hands against any of the nearly faded bruises that still covered most of her torso but needing her as close to me as possible.

I swallowed the venom that collected in my mouth as the urges I'd fought so hard to repress for almost a century screamed for dominance in my mind. Too long. It had been too long since I'd felt her respond to me, surround me. I knew that physically, what we were heading toward was not wise or prudent, but emotionally she seemed to feel as deprived as I did.

As her tongue slid its way back up my neck to my ear, I blew out my breath harshly and gave in. As easily as possible, I laced both arms around her and picked her up, setting her down in my lap. I cradled her upper body against my right arm and let my left hand trace the outline of her ribcage and hip. With every pass of my fingertips along the silk that covered her, I could feel her skin erupt in chills. She wove her hands into my hair and pulled me deeper into the kiss.

The crackling of the fire caught my attention and I decided to make the most of the atmosphere she'd created with her request. I sat her up against the arm of the couch and then kissed the tip of her nose. She looked neither surprised nor upset as I rose to my feet and moved away from the couch.

"Don't move. I'll be right back."

I retrieved the comforter from the large bed as quickly as possible, also grabbing the pillows from the mattress. I reentered the room to find her in exactly the same position, only gazing at the flickering light of the now blazing fire. I shoved the small wooden table a little too hard in my enthusiasm and sent it to the other side of the room with a thud as it hit the drywall. It took no time at all to spread the blanket on the floor beside the hearth and situate the pillows.

I moved, on my knees, from the pallet on the floor to the side of the couch. I looked at her briefly before we both reached for each other in an inadvertently coordinated move born of mutual need. I slid one arm underneath her knees and the other around her back and lifted her from the cushions as she locked her arms around my neck. The kiss that followed was more intense, more insistent than earlier in the night, but it still wasn't enough. I plunged my tongue deep into her mouth and groaned as the wet warmth surrounded me again.

Very carefully I lowered us to the floor. I stretched out beside her magnificent body, made that much more so by the enormous amount of love that poured from her every touch and propped myself up on my left elbow to bask in the sight before me. As soon as I slid my hand from around her back and she felt the soft padding of the down comforter, she rolled to her side and mimicked my position. The orange embers behind her cast her in such beauty that it was almost painful to behold her. She balanced her head against the exposed fingers protruding from her cast and smiled breathtakingly at me.

"I expected some type of reaction," she said so quietly it was possible to believe I'd imagined her words.

"I'm not sure which reaction is most dominant," I told her honestly. "Part of me wants to shout the rooftop that you'll be mine forever. And part of me worries that you'll come to hate me if…"

"Baby, how could you possibly think that?" she asked as she sat straight up and stared angrily at me. "Edward, after everything we've been through, how could you possibly doubt that this is how it should be?" Her voice had taken on a slightly hurt tone as she looked into my eyes.

"I don't doubt it, love," I told her as I sat up and faced her. I slid my hand around her neck and to the back of her head. I gripped her hair a little tighter than I might have under other circumstances but I needed her to understand that I had no doubts about her, only the nature of my being. "Bella, the only thing I have any concern about it that you will resent being made a vampire. Never doubt that I want you forever."

The building anger in her eyes dissipated and was replaced by that shining love that made my dead heart swell every time I looked at her. She leaned forward slowly; my hand still threaded into the satiny hair at the base of her skull, until her lips were less than an inch from mine. Her scent surrounded me as I felt her warm breath wash over my neck and shoulders. She slid her left hand up my chest, around the back of my neck and then tightly wound the hair at the nape of neck into her tiny fingers, mimicking my position.

"I've wanted you for all time from the very first moment I saw you. Show me that you want me too," she whispered so quietly that the crackling of the wood in the fireplace nearly drown out her words. But the intent was clear.

I closed the small distance between us and kissed her with all the emotions that battled within me. She moaned into my mouth as I slid my tongue against hers and she gripped my hair even tighter in her fingers. Without much conscious thought, I slid the hand that I'd been resting against the comforter up her back and over the slick material of the beautiful robe that covered her shoulders. The deep blue material pooled around her hips on the white comforter and immediately brought to mind the island oasis that I'd dreamed of taking her to once our lives calmed. I slid my fingertips over the sharp bones of her shoulder blade and then to her collarbone. I traced the indention of one of my favorite parts of her body once, twice and then a third time before I hooked the material with my thumb and slid it down her shoulder.

I broke the searing kiss but only so that I could taste the skin of the incredible being that was my wife. My lips found the small spot behind her ear that never failed to elicit the sounds that fueled my fantasies. I gently sucked her sweet spot as I scooted myself closer to her. The feel of her in my mouth and of her body as I pressed myself against her was absolute perfection. I felt the immediate response of my own body as she hooked her leg over my hip and the first wave of the unique and intoxicating smell of her arousal invaded my senses.

"Baby, I want you. So badly," I growled against the soft curve of her neck as I licked a path down to the collarbone that still held the cold chills my fingers had left. "But you have to tell me if I hurt you."

"You could never hurt me," she purred as she kissed the back of my neck.

We were wrapped around each other as much as possible but it wasn't even close to being enough. Her hand tugged at the material of my shirt, obviously wanting the skin to skin contact that I craved on a nearly constant basis. I pulled away from her only long enough to remove the material that separated us. I reclaimed her lips and pressed my hips into hers, earning another of the delicious moans that I desired above almost everything else.

I slid my hand over the curve of her hip and gripped her ass tightly as I ground my throbbing hard on into the blazing heat of her core. The friction was apparently exactly what she craved because she threw her head back, exposing the perfect line of her neck to me.

"Ungh…Edward…God," she panted as I continued to grind into her, all the while tasting the skin of neck and chest. She reached her hand toward the small strap that held the exquisite gown on her shoulders, but grabbed her wrist just before she could slide the material away from her body.

"Leave it on," I urged her as I moved my mouth to the tiny wrist clutched in my hand. The scent of her blood was strong just beneath the skin and I couldn't help but inhale deeply. I left a wet trail up the inside of her arm and over her elbow as I made my way back up to her chest. Her back arched into me as I pulled her perfectly erect nipple into my mouth through the deep blue fabric.

The heat on her skin from the fire was incredible and only fueled the raging desire that burned within me. With the gentlest touch I could muster, I rolled her body toward the fire until she rested on the down blanket on her left side. I immediately moved to her until I was pressed fully against her back and ass. I slid my left hand under her shoulder so that her head rested on my upper arm, then crossed her body to grasp her right breast in my hand. The rapid beats of her heart pulsed against my forearm as I tugged her nipple with my fingertips, hastily pulling at the buttons on my pants with my free hand. When I was finally freed of the confining denim, I pushed them down and away from my body.

I finally, mercifully pressed my aching cock against the slick heat of my Eden and thrust almost unconsciously. At the change in feeling, she threw her head back against me, her hair draping over my shoulder and tickling my back. I could hold out not a single second longer. Needing to be inside her, I lifted her right leg at the knee and rotated her hip outward. As I laid her leg against my own hipbone, I grasped myself in my right hand and guided my dick to her entrance. In one motion, I entered her fully while I wrapped my arm around her hip.

"Oh, God," we both gasped at the same time. I held perfectly still, not trusting my body's ability to give in to the intense desire to fill her. She seemed to wordlessly understand my need because she also became motionless. The only noise in the room was the constant popping of the wood in the fire in front of us, the quiet rustling of the silk gown and her panting breaths.

"You feel so perfect inside of me," she gasped as her hips moved back into me involuntarily. Her words combined with her movements were more than I could stand to deny. I tightened my arms around her and began a slow rhythmic pace. With each pull back, my body mourned the loss of contact and rejoiced when reunited.

"I never knew," I rasped into her neck. " I never knew I could need anyone or anything as much as I need you." Slowly but steadily, I pushed into her again and again. The beautiful chaos of emotions grew with each thrust, each time my name fell from her lips.

I could feel her tightening around me and I quickened my pace slightly. The overpowering feeling of her was all consuming in its bliss. The soft moans and grunts that fell from her lips and became mingled with my name were the most beautiful music I'd ever heard. The pressure in my lower back had begun to build when she spoke the words that sent me over the edge of control and reason.

"Promise me," she moaned as she arched her back, drawing me further inside of her dripping core.

"Anything, Baby."

"When the time comes, I…oh, God. When the time comes, I want you to change me just like this. I want…I want to end my human life and wake to my immortal one wrapped in your arms. Promise me," she cried out as the muscles of her core clamped down around me and her orgasm took control of her body.

"I promise. God help me, I promise," I groaned as I buried my nose in the crook of her neck seconds before my own explosion ripped through my body. My legs shook with the intensity of the force that rippled through me and I clung to her for dear life.

We lay in the peaceful silence for a long time, not bothering to loosen our hold on each other or break the connection of our bodies. Neither of us spoke but simply kissed every available inch of each other and watched the fire slowly die down. She rolled into my chest after a while, granting her a more comfortable position in which to kiss me.

She was simply magnificent as she lay beside me; her hair was disheveled and tangled around us both, her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the fire and her physical excursion and a light dusting of perspiration covered her chest. Simply gazing down at her was enough to resurrect my desire for her and she smiled deviously as she felt the obvious swelling of my erection, which just happened to be still buried inside of her.

I felt her shiver slightly, whether from the dying of the firelight or the temperature of my skin pressed against her, I didn't know. It was reluctantly that I pulled myself out of her long enough to add several more logs to the fire. Within seconds, I returned to her, now laying on her back. The small strap on her right shoulder had fallen, exposing her breast to me in the process. I groaned as I took in the sight of her; her body bared to me and her legs open enough to not only nestle myself back into her folds but also to see the maddening perfection of her glistening lips. I tugged at the material and watched, mesmerized, as it fluidly slid down her body. I slowly slipped my tip back into her and gasped as she arched her back against the floor and engulfed me to the base of my cock in one motion.

"Jesus, Bella, you're still so wet, so ready for me," I grunted as I leaned forward to rest my forehead against hers.

"Always, my love. Always."

I laced the fingers of my hand into her uninjured on and rose up just enough to be able to watch her. The emotions danced across her face as she alternated between love and desire and back again. We moved together, each meeting the others hips in an unhurried cadence, for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time. We both stared into the others eyes and watched the displays of pleasure we brought forth from each other. The familiar burn of my looming orgasm had just begun to return when she shifted her body beneath me.

She hooked her feet over my hipbones and placed her heels against my thighs, urging me to speed up. I happily complied and delighted at the feel of her muscles as they began to tense again.

"Cum for me, Love. Let me see it," I both begged and demanded. She didn't answer with words but her body shouted its response as the tightening became more pronounced. As I felt the first wave of her explosion ripple across my shaft, I pulled out of her and slid quickly down her body. I clamped my mouth around the supple skin of her pussy and greedily lapped at the flooding moisture that surged. I pushed my tongue as deeply into her as possible and was overjoyed to feel her muscles clamp down in a second wave of eruption. Her hand, still entwined with mine, shook with the force of her orgasms as I moaned my delight into her skin.

When the last wave had passed and she'd relaxed slightly, I sat back on my heels and reached for her. Sensing what I wanted from her, she sat up, arms outstretched and allowed me to pull her into my lap. She impaled herself on my cock once again as she wrapped both arms around my neck, cementing herself against my chest. I, in turn, wrapped one arm around her back and gripped her appallingly gorgeous ass in the other hand.

She shifted her hips as she leaned forward and took my earlobe between her teeth. She'd figured out the first time we'd been together that her teeth drove me to the absolute brink of insanity and this was no exception.

"Ungh…Bella, oh shit," I panted as she alternated between biting my ear and nipping at the skin of my neck just below. I pulled her against me faster and faster, my own release begging for eruption.

"Cum for me, Edward. Let me see it," she said in that incredibly sexy deep voice that she sometimes sang in. My own words in her voice sent me over the edge and I roared as I came hard in five long bursts. When my body stilled, I opened my eyes to see her staring at me. She was smiling blindingly at me, obviously enjoying my loss of control as much as I enjoyed hers. She chuckled at my reaction and then kissed the very tip of my nose, much as I'd done to her a thousand different times.

"I'm hungry," she said sweetly and I couldn't help but laugh loudly. She sounded so young, so innocent as she spoke, yet she looked sinful wrapped around me and still clenching my member between her thighs.

"If I'd known all it took to bring your appetite back was a couple of orgasms, we'd have done this in the hospital room," I teased her as slid off my lap.

A half hour later, we were camped out on the blanket, fire still blazing, as she inhaled the contents of the fruit and cheese tray that I'd bribed the room service attendant to bring us at four in the morning. When the knock sounded through, I'd grabbed the white terry cloth robe from the bathroom and thrown it around myself long enough to sign for the tray. I'd returned with the food to find her sitting up, still completely naked, waiting eagerly for my return. She looked so amazing that I stopped dead in my tracks and simply stared at her for a moment.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look in the firelight?" I asked her as I sat the tray in front of her. She smiled bashfully before reaching for the silver platter as I sat down across from her. She cocked her eyebrow at me, her hand stopping midway to her mouth as she grasped a small cube of cheese in her casted hand, and stared at me.

"Loose the robe. This is a naked picnic," she chided as she popped the food into her mouth.

"Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets," I answered as I pulled the tie at my waist and shed the robe.

"Tell me something, please."

"What?"

"When the hell did you learn to play the guitar? You were so incredible tonight, like you've been playing for years," she said incredulously as she continued to eat.

"While you were sleeping. I've told you, when you have permanent insomnia, it leaves a lot of spare time on your hands."

She smiled at me again as she began to pluck the grapes from their stems and pop them one by one into her mouth. Watching her eat had always been a favorite past time, but as the shadows of the fire jumped across the contours of her body, I decided that anytime meals could be consumed naked, they would be.

"Play for me?" she asked in the voice that she knew I could never deny.

I silently rose and retrieved one of the acoustic guitars she'd been gifted with and returned to the pallet on the floor. I leaned my back against the couch and perched the guitar across my lap. With a satisfied sigh, she pushed the tray away and stretched out on her left side, propping her head in her hand. The position immediately recalled our earlier lovemaking and I felt a twitch in my groin as the memory catapulted to the front of my brain.

I strummed the tightly wound stings and began to play the only song I could think of that felt appropriate for the night we'd shared. I smiled as recognition of the song played across her face and then turned to adoration as the lyrics surrounded her.

I'll be you man

**I'll understand**

**Do my very best**

**To take good care of you**

Her eyes filled with tears. They slowly seeped down her cheeks as I sang the song. Her smile was warmer than a thousand suns as I continued into the chorus of the song I'd long admired but never fully understood until I'd met her.

You'll be my queen

**I'll be your king**

**And I'll be your lover too**

Yeah yeah

I sang the rest of the song to her, never breaking eye contact with her. She seemed genuinely entranced as I sang the lyrics that couldn't have been any more perfect a description of my feelings for her than if I'd written them myself. When the last note resonated in the air, she lifted her arms toward me. I placed the guitar on the carpet and moved to her, allowing her to pull me against her chest and I returned her embrace with equal amounts passion and devotion. I could feel the hot tears run down my chest as she softly stroked my back with her fingertips.

It was only when I both felt and heard her yawn that I pulled away. I reached for one of the oversized pillows and guided her toward it. As soon as her head hit the soft cotton, her eyes closed and she let out a small contented smile. I stretched my body out against hers and reached for the edge of the comforter. As she snuggled herself as close to my body as possible, I wrapped the fabric over her body and mine and lay my own head down on the pillow. Her head was tucked into my neck just below my chin and her fingers made slow lazy trails along my back. I kissed the top of her head as I heard the slowing of her heart beat and realized she would be asleep in less than sixty seconds.

"I love you, my queen," I whispered.

"I love you too, my king," she purred as the sleep closed in over her.

I lay for hours on the floor with her pulled tightly against my chest. I watched as the fire dimmed and then flickered out, leaving only a glowing mass of embers. As I listened to the steady rhythm of her breaths, it occurred to me that this night had quite possibly been the most perfect night I'd ever spent with Bella. I was calmer and more relaxed than I could ever remember being, despite the profoundness of her declaration earlier.

It was with a light heart and clear mind that I realized I'd known, on some level, from the very beginning that this was the course our life together would take. And that the long denied acceptance of her fate had finally made peace with the part of myself that had fought so hard against her change. I wanted it. Needed it. Craved it. Her lack of fear and absolute assurance of her unwavering love for me, even if I took her mortal life, had finally allowed me to accept our preordained fate.

Very soon, she would be my mate in the truest sense of the word.

And as I lay in her arms watching the first rays of the morning sun peek through the heavy curtains, I knew that the day she said goodbye to her human frailty couldn't come quickly enough.

**Chapter Notes: You know what I want from you guys. Naked Edward in the firelight serenading Bella? Surely, that's worth a review from all you lurkers.**

**Just a random thought. Who out there is on FaceBook? I will freely admit that I am not the world's best about posting but I would love to be able to put a person with the screen name I've seen throughout our journey. Look me up at Kelly Chandler in Greenville, SC. I'll put a note on my profile about EverClear to help you identify me. How cool would it be to get the EverClear groupies all together for a little on line conversations?**


	21. Chapter 21History

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**Special thanks to all of you that voted for EverClear in the Moonlight Awards. Voting ends today, so if you haven't already, go log on and vote.**

**A very special thank you to Shannon who created an EverClear radio station at Slacker (dot) com. It's amazing and I highly recommend you check it out. I am working on getting her a list of all the songs referenced in the two stories and there will even be a few hints of the songs that are yet to come.**

**Playlist:**

**Solitude-Evanescence**

**Forgive Me-Evanescence**

**These are older songs but you can still find them on YouTube. If you have any issues with finding them, just send me a PM and I'll forward a link to you.**

Chapter 21-History

BPOV

"Open the door you two," a rather muffled but still pissy voice yelled from far away, pulling me from my blissful sleep.

I was only vaguely aware of the movement beside me, followed by the dip of the cushion beneath me. Cushion? I didn't have to be fully awake to realize that Edward would have moved us to the couch during the night, probably fearing that the floor would make me stiff or sore. Immediately, my body realized it was missing something and I curled into the lingering cold of the fabric below me while simultaneously pulling the fluffy comforter higher up my shoulder.

"I can't believe you actually answered the door. I've only tried to call a dozen time in the last six hours," I heard Chip's irritated voice from across the room.

No, no, no. I wasn't ready for the outside world to intrude upon the icy cocoon Edward and I had hidden ourselves in for the last however many hours. As much as I loved Chip, I really hoped that Edward would send him away. But even as the thought occurred to me, I realized it was a futile wish. There was no way that Edward would ever be so rude as to turn him away, particularly when he stood just outside the door.

I heard the click of the door as it swung shut and the soft footsteps as they neared. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut against the invasion and hoped that if I lay perfectly still; I wouldn't have to deal with Queenie just yet.

"Jesus, Edward! I know that you are dead, but she's not. Although she will be when she catches pneumonia from this room. Why in the hell is it so cold in here?" Chip asked, partially amused partially concerned. Without peeking at him, I knew what look would be on his face. His brows would be scrunched together but the corners of his lips would be slightly turned up.

"She asked me to make a fire last night," the voice of my dreams said from very nearby. Seconds later, I felt the cushion dip again and then the perfect cold of his body as he slid between my body and the back of the couch. With no conscious thought, I rolled over and buried myself against his chest. I felt him pull away the soft fabric of the robe from his body and tuck it around me, effective securing me against his still very naked body. I wiggled closer, only to feel his erection press against my stomach and I couldn't help but let the small sigh that bubbled to the surface escape.

"I don't have to ask what you two were up to last night," Chip chuckled. "You look like an advertisement for the sexually sated, not to mention the bed head your sporting."

I felt Edward laugh quietly as he wrapped his arm around my upper back and pressed a delicate kiss to the top of my head. I smiled against his skin and kissed the hard skin above his silent heart, my absolute happiness breaking through my attempt to feign sleep.

"You're a terrible actress, Love. You might as well roll over and say good morning. It's only a matter of time before he gets bored of talking to me and wakes you up himself," Edward said softly against the shell of my ear.

"I don't want to wake up yet. I was having this fabulous dream about you and a fire place and a very soft couch," I grouched against his chest, my eyes still squeezed tightly shut.

"You little shit. How long have you been awake?" Chip yelled louder than was necessary considering he was less than ten feet away from me.

I rolled over, not bothering to brush the hair from my eyes and laid my head against the pillow at the end of the couch. I smiled brilliantly at him as Edward adjusted both the terry cloth bathrobe and the comforter around me. He was dressed, as usual, in a very loud bold print shirt; perfectly tailored slacks and his bright red glasses perched precariously on the end of his nose. He smiled at me, reassuring me that his anger was nothing more than a ruse before he laughed again.

"Ok, I take it back. Edward has the bed head going this morning, but you, my dear, are the epitome of the sexually sated." He rose from the oversized chair and crossed the room to the thermostat. "Do you mind if I turn this up? You could hang meat in this room."

"Good morning, my queen," Edward whispered as I looked up and into his dark eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine for just a moment before his tongue slid slowly into my mouth. I opened my mouth wider to him, inviting him deeper. I felt his hips rock against my backside as his grip around my waist tightened.

I was on the verge of forgetting everything else in the world and concentrating only on the feel of his body against mine when I jolted away from him. My hand flew to my mouth and the look of shock on his beautiful face made me feel horrible.

"Dragon breath," I stated flatly from behind my fingers. "I imagine fruit and cheddar cheese aren't particularly appetizing. I'm sorry, I must taste awful."

"If he tells you that your nasty morning breath is cute or sweet, I will truly gag," Chip snarked as he reclaimed his seat across from me.

"Good morning to you too," I said as I laid my head back down against the pillow. I felt Edward stretch out behind me and prop his head in his hand above me. "Can I ask why you're here so early?"

"Child," he snorted, " It's nearly noon. If you call that early, we need to get you a new watch. We need to talk about a few things and I'm here to let you guys in on the plan for the evening before the mutant shows up."

I groaned. The mutant could only be JP and if Chip needed to warn us of the plans for the evening, it couldn't be good. Edward laughed loudly at my obvious distress before he kissed my bare shoulder, effectively earning himself forgiveness before I'd even had a chance to get irritated. I caught the slightly worried look on Chip's face just as Edward's hand tightened against my stomach. I knew both men well enough to know that Chip was hesitating telling me whatever it was that was on his mind and that Edward has picked the unpleasant thought from his mind.

I rubbed his forearm as he clutched me tightly, trying unsuccessfully to ease the tension that had set into his muscles. I turned my head and gazed at him. His eyes had darkened and his jaw was clenched. I looked quickly at Chip, who had by that point noticed my husband's reaction to his thoughts. He had a serious expression on his face but there was none of the anger that Edward was clearly trying to rein in. I rolled over on my back and touched Edward's cheek with my hand, trying to turn his head toward me. After a second, it registered with him what I was doing and he turned to face me. Almost reluctantly, a small smile spread across his lips and he leaned into my hand.

"Baby, it can't be that bad. Just tell me what's going on please."

"Sebastian made bail last night. He was arraigned early yesterday morning and some idiot let the lunatic out," Edward spat.

"He has to wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle and he's not allowed anywhere near you or JP, but he is out," Chip added in his best soothing tone. I knew this voice well. It was the same voice that he used every time I had a panic attack. I turned my head slightly to look at Chip and nearly laughed. It was only the seriousness of their words that allowed me to keep my composure The identical looks of dread as they stared at me told me that both of them were expecting the rapid heart beats and the labored breathing to begin at any second.

"So?" I said as confidently as I could manage. The truth was, the idea of him being free scared me. The thought of Sebastian out and wandering the streets with the information he possessed terrified me. But not because I thought he would try to come after me again. I was scared of what his ranting could do to Edward.

"Bella!" they chorused in indignation. Edward has shot up from his reclining position and was hovering over me with his left hand bracing himself against the arm of the couch. His eyes had turned pitch black in an instant and almost glowed with the intensity of his anger.

"Just hear me out, Edward. Yes, it worries me that he is out but not because I think he'll come after me again. It worries me that he'll run his mouth about what you are. I just don't want him to stir up any more trouble for you or your family."

He opened his mouth to argue with me but before he could get a word out, I placed my hand over his lips. The moment my fingertips made contact with his mouth, he puckered his lips and kissed my hand. The action was so endearing that I smiled because it was obvious his actions were completely subconscious. It was the same as when he touched me. My body instinctively leaned into and sought out even the most inadvertent of his touches.

"As for me, if the SOB is stupid enough to actually try and come after me, he deserves what he gets. For God's sake, Edward, you still stand outside the door when I go to the bathroom. There is no possible way you'd leave my side with him out. I know that and I love you for it. Between you, Jaz and Em, there is no possible way he could get near me."

After a long silence, I felt his body relax. He sighed deeply and then dropped his head to my chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly as he laid his cheek against my sternum and hugged me beneath comforter. I stroked my nails over his scalp, marveling once again at the satin texture of his wild hair. With each pass I made, his body sank further into mine and his anger dissipated.

"How did you know he still stands outside the door?" an amused Chip questioned while smiling indulgently at the two of us.

"Because I can smell him when he's leaning against the door listening to me pee," I laughed. Chip howled with laughter at my answer and made a smart-assed comment about how bottling Edward's scent and selling it was his retirement plan. Edward shook as he laughed at my observation, and probably Chip's comment, but he didn't bother to try and argue with what I was saying. He knew he was busted.

"You're right, Love. There is no possible way I would leave you alone for any amount of time with him out. So don't even try to fuss about it," he said as he raised his head enough to look at me sternly. "But please don't worry about me. The more he rants at this point, the more likely he is to spend the next several years locked away in an institution for the criminally insane. It would actually help the prosecutor's case."

"Oh, and he is being sent back to Seattle for monitoring. Epic is paying for a round the clock security team to watch over his every move. I talked to Bree this morning; by the way, Epic is terrified that you or JP is going to sue the shit out of them for encouraging performances with the shithead when they knew there was a problem. Anyway, according to her, they are only doing it because EMD's new album is still in the editing process. They want to be able to push out the CD so that they can capitalize on the exposure. I'm sure they realize this is the last album they will get out of them and the vultures intend to drain every drop of profit possible before their former shining star goes to prison."

"Is he really that good? That they would go to all the trouble and expense to protect him?" Edward asked sincerely.

"Yeah, at least he was," I told him truthfully. Before he'd gone off the deep end, Sebastian had all the makings of a true superstar. His voice combined with his musical ability and his intelligence had been a combination that seemed destined for the big leagues. Even despising the man, even I couldn't deny the sheer talent the man possessed.

"Okay, so the bad news is out of the way. You want the so called good news?" Chip snorted as he made a very blatant attempt to divert the attention away from Sebastian.

"Yes"

"No"

Edward looked up at me and smirked as we'd both answered. Our diametrically opposed answers seemed to humor him and I was thrilled to see that his eyes had softened. He kissed me quickly before looking to Chip, waiting for him to reveal his secret. My best friend had just opened his mouth to when a loud bang on the door interrupted him.

"Oh, good grief," Edward sighed as he put his forehead against my chest and chuckled. "You're going to want to put your bathrobe on, baby. We have more company."

"Open the door. You two have been bumping uglies long enough," JP screamed through the door.

"He is completely fucking insane," I grumbled as Edward shifted off me. Chip grabbed the discarded robe from the floor and tossed it to me. Without thinking, I threw the comforter back and stood up off the couch, paying no attention to the fact that I was completely naked.

"Um, baby," Edward said under his breath as he cleared his throat.

"Oh relax, Adonis. I've seen her naked before," Chip retorted to my husband's attempt at protecting my modesty. He rose from the chair once again and made his way toward the door to let in the madman that was now beating a steady rhythm against the door.

I turned to see Edward looking over my body appraisingly. He cocked his eyebrow as he met my gaze and licked his lips. The sentiment in his eyes was so obvious that it took my breath. I pulled the edges of the silk around my self and tied the ribbon securely around my waist, never once looking away from him. He reached out with both hands and grabbed my hips. With a gentle tug, he pulled me until I stood with my knees pressing against the edge of the couch and wrapped his arms fully around my waist. Very sweetly, he pressed a kiss against my stomach as I held his head against me.

"We need to make this a quick conversation," Edward mumbled as he kissed his way across my stomach.

"Yo! Bitch, I got some news!" JP yelled as he barreled into the room like a bull in a china shop. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the two of us, dressed in our robes and wrapped up in each other. He smiled wickedly as his eyes cut around the room, obviously taking in the cluttered living room. The tray of mostly eaten food lay on the hearth beside the fireplace, the guitar was propped haphazardly against the end table next to the chair Chip had just vacated and the comforter from the bedroom was still spread out across the couch. It was obvious that we'd been up most of the night and probably obvious what we'd been up to.

"Well, well, well! Looks like our babies discovered living room sex last night. I'm so proud. I think you two may be ready for the advanced course," he mocked as his long dread locks bounced with his laughter. "Eddie, how do you feel about menage…"

"Finish that sentence and EverClear will need a new bass player," Edward growled. His tone of voice was steely but his eyes danced with amusement. JP just lifted his hands, palms out, in surrender.

"Just kidding. Dang, relax dude. I know she's yours, no need to go all barbarian on me."

JP turned to me and smiled wider and more genuinely than I could remember in a long time. I took in his appearance quickly and realized there was something slightly different about him. He wore his standard vintage tee shirt and torn up jeans, but he appeared much more alert and awake than usual. I'd often kidded him about being a vampire himself because JP rarely seemed fully attentive before sundown.

"What's up with you today? Did you stumble into a harem of mute bimbos last night?" I kidded him.

"Naw, I actually went to sleep last night. I had two beers with the guys and then came back to the hotel. Alone."

Shocked wasn't the word for the expression that must have crossed my face. I couldn't remember the last time my man-whore buddy had seemed happy about spending an evening alone. I turned to face Edward with a mock surprise expression on my face and noticed that he was grinning at JP like a fool.

"Oh, no baby. The world ended last night. Hell actually froze over and we didn't even notice."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Bitch. Very funny. No, really, I had a good night and I came up with a really cool idea I want to run by you. But I've got some news first." He was practically bouncing in anticipation of his news.

He looked like a kid at Christmas as he waited for me to ask him about his news or his idea. I loved to see JP like this. This was the man that I had bonded with the very first night we'd met. This was the man that had been the creative spark that had brought EverClear together. I wanted to prolong whatever it was that had him so light and free of the smut-dog exterior he usually wore to hide his own demons.

"So, what's your news?" He cut his eyes behind me to Edward, who visibly gasped at whatever thought ran through his mind. I turned to look over my shoulder at Edward and swayed on my feet slightly. He was looking back at me with absolute undiluted pride pouring from his every pore. "What? Tell me," I demanded.

"Open Door is number one," JP said in a smooth, unconcerned tone.

"What did you say? Open Door is…" I sputtered almost incoherently.

"Open. Door. Is. Number. One." The smile on his face was electric. He opened his arms out widely just as I threw myself at him. He lifted me off the ground with no more effort than Edward did and spun us both around in circles. He sat me down on my feet and pulled back enough to look at me for a second before he leaned forward and kissed me. "We did it, Bitch. We did it," he crowed before he hugged me against his chest again.

I leaned my cheek against him as he turned us to face Chip and Edward. They were both clapping loudly and smiling as widely as we were. In the space of a single blink, both were wrapping their arms around us. Chip stretched up on his tiptoes and kissed JP's cheek while Edward leaned his head down and kissed me forcefully.

"Baby, I am so proud of you," Edward purred in my ear. "I knew you guys could do it, you are so fucking good."

"Oh, baby girl, I always knew you guys would make it. I love you," Chip said through the tears that streamed joyously down his cheeks.

"I love you too. This wouldn't be possible without you, Queenie," I said through my own tears of happiness.

"Hey, what are we missing," Emmett's voice boomed from the door.

We all spun toward the door to see Emmett and Alice gracefully moving toward us. Alice was obviously in on the news because her smile was much too knowing. She flew to us, not bothering with human speed, and inserted herself into the middle of our tangle of affection. I felt her tiny arms wrap around my waist as she leaned up and kissed JP.

"Damn it, why am I the odd man out? What am I missing?" my hulking brother whined as he put his hands of his hips and stared at us.

"Open Door is number one on the charts, Em," I told him as I stepped toward him.

"Holy shit," he gasped as he picked me up. He placed his hands under my arms and then lifted me six feet into the air, his arms straightened above his head. The height was dizzying but I knew I was safe in my brother's arms. I squealed as he threw me up slightly, much like an infant would be tossed playfully into the air by its father.

"Dude, don't drop my wife please," Edward laughed as he watched us, his arm still slung around JP's shoulders.

"Damn, Peanut. I can't believe it. I am so freaking proud of you," he said sincerely as he placed me on my feet. He shifted his gaze to JP and extended his hand out. As soon as JP reached across to shake his hand, Emmett wrenched him into a giant bear hug. "Fucking awesome dude. Truly."

"So you know this means we have to celebrate tonight, right?" JP said through the huffs of breath he was struggling to take while still locked in the vice-like embrace of the giant vampire that held him. "Metallica is in town tonight, so we are all," he looked up expectantly at Emmett who grinned gleefully, " going out. Dinner, the concert and then out on the town afterwards. No one," he glared at Edward and me, "is allowed to bow out."

"We wouldn't dream of it," Edward answered as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned into his chest as he softly kissed the juncture between my neck and shoulders. "This is too big not to celebrate."

The euphoric mood continued as we all settled down into the seating area in the living room. Edward and I settled back down on the couch, me sitting between his legs, with JP right beside us. Chip and Alice had claimed the loveseat across from us and were talking animatedly about wardrobe choices for our night out. Emmett had perched in the large chair, which didn't seem so oversized when it contained his huge frame, and was on the phone with Carlisle and Esme relaying the news.

The mood was lighter than it had been in weeks and I sighed happily as I leaned into Edward, loving the feel of him wrapped around me and positively vibrating with excitement over our success. I noticed JP digging through a blue backpack that I'd not noticed him carrying when he'd first come into the room. He seemed very intent on finding something specific hidden in its depths. I laughed to myself as I noticed how much younger he seemed in that moment. He looked happy and relaxed as he shoved things aside impatiently inside the nylon bag on his lap.

"What are you looking for, Asshole?"

"Oh," he looked up at me slightly stunned that anyone was watching him. "Well, remember I told you I had an idea last night? I want to put together a video of the band. But I don't want the same old bullshit staged crap that most bands do. I want the real us, from the beginning. I went through a lot of my tapes and memory cards from the digital cameras last night and I think we have more than enough to do it. Kinda like the evolution of EverClear. The timing seems good to release it with all the buzz around us right now. Whatcha think?"

He looked at me almost as if he thought I would deny him. Truth was I wouldn't say "no" to anything he came up with for the band. Very soon, sooner than he knew, it would be his baby alone and I wanted it to go in the exact direction he wanted to take it. So long as his ideas didn't involve me naked in any way, I was on board for whatever he wanted to do. In this particular case, I thought not only was a video a good idea but that he was spot on about the timing.

"I love it, JP. You're brilliant. What have you got so far?"

He absolutely lit up as I agreed with him. With no pretense, he dumped the entire contents of the backpack out onto the floor in front of the couch, earning a belly laugh from Edward. The sound of Edward laughing was not only magical but contagious as well. I looked around the room to see that everyone was watching the conversation. Emmett moved to the television and began to plug in the wires of the camera, obviously readying the equipment for a sneak peek of JP's latest brainchild.

JP quickly crawled across the carpet with an arm full of discs and small black squares of plastic. He dropped them all in front of the entertainment center and turned to look at us. His eyes were positively shinning with excitement as he spoke.

"Oh, man. I have got tons of shit. I've got stuff that goes back to the very beginning." He looked down into the pile and began to shuffle things around, grumbling to himself. When he finally found what he was looking for, he jammed the disc into the DVD player and sat back. "Ed, dude, you are gonna love this shit," he beamed as he pushed play.

JP had always been the historian of our little circus. He'd constantly had a video and tape recorder with him from as far back as I could remember. He'd recorded practice sessions, sound checks, rehearsals, shows and even us just hanging around the various apartments that we'd occupied through the years. I'd often wondered if he was just a bit of a voyeur or if he used the videos for a more X-rated purpose. But seeing his collection, I realized that JP had always had a vision for EverClear that far surpassed my own. He'd always seen the band as permanent and he'd wanted to document every step of the journey. My heart swelled a little more as I stared at him with a new sense of respect and love.

The screen came alive with an image that I'd nearly forgotten. The setting was JP's apartment two floors above the one that I'd lived in with Chip and Marcus. The apartment had been little more than a single large room with three cupboard-sized rooms off the main room that housed a bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a closet. As the camera panned around the room, the constantly messy bed that had been pushed against the far wall was visible, as was the painfully beaten up piano that was situated twenty feet away from the mattress. There was a confusing mix of voices pouring from the audio speakers that I recognized as a younger version of Chip, Dimitri and myself.

"That was the piano that I wrote most of Fallen on," I said to Edward as I leaned my head back toward him. I turned my head slightly to look at him, but he was transfixed on the images on the screen. With a small laugh, I turned my attention back to the screen just in time for my own voice to blare from the speakers.

"I can't do it JP, I'm not a singer," a nineteen year old version of myself said timidly from somewhere off screen. The memory of this particular night flooded me at the words. I was literally watching the birth of EverClear as it came to be. The clip JP was playing was the very first time I'd ever sung a note of any of the songs. Up until that night, JP and I had simply written songs that I'd intended for someone else to sing. It was this exact moment that EverClear had begun to take shape and I was grateful beyond words that a record of one of the most profound moments of my life existed for me to hang on to once I'd been changed.

"Edward, this is the night I finally convinced Bella to sing," JP explained as he pushed the pause button. He turned to face the two of us on the couch to further his explanation and I noticed that his eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny tears. "We'd been writing for months and had just started to play with Dimitri and Felix. Hell, Dimitri still thought at this point he had a shot at Bells. But anyway, Bel had always said that she couldn't sing a lick and that if I wanted the songs to be performed I'd have to find a real singer. She'd written these fan-fucking-tastic lyrics but we were having problems getting the timing of the song down. The rest is history. Just watch," he trailed off as he turned back to the screen.

Edward shifted our position so that we sat up right at the opposite end of the couch. The look on his face was intense concentration and I understood why. He was almost ravenous for information about our missing years and in front of him was another piece of the puzzle. I swallowed hard as I leaned into him because I knew that the lyrics were going to be hard for him to listen to.

The screen resumed its images just in time to see a version of JP with only shoulder length dreadlocks pulling a pair of stools in front of the fireplace that had been against the east wall of the apartment. It had been around the same time of year, mid October, that we were in now. Only we were in Seattle and it was cold and rainy outside. Even on the grainy video, flashes of lightening were visible and I could make out the sound of the sheeting rain as it pelted the windows of the apartment.

The next moment, JP turned to face the camera, that I remembered was being held by Marcus at the time and spoke into the lens.

"She's gonna do it. Voluntarily or otherwise. This song is too fucking good to let it kick our asses." The twenty-three year old JP smiled menacingly at the camera before he disappeared from view and the angle grew wider. Sitting to the left of the fireplace was Felix behind the rattiest drum kit I'd ever seen. He smoked his cigarette quietly as he waited for JP to enact his dastardly plan. To the right, was Dimitri. I'd nearly forgotten that he'd once had short hair and I chuckled to myself as I saw him with his choir boy haircut. He was smiling widely at the rustling noises that were still off camera and then looked into the lens and flipped his middle finger.

I felt Edward stiffen behind me as the two-dimensional JP tugged a very reluctant nineteen year old me into the view of the camera. I looked like absolute shit. I didn't remember being so pale or so washed out looking. My hair was pulled into a messy ponytail atop my head and I wore a brown sweater that had definitely seen better days. The knit cloth seemed to swallow me whole as I stared at myself being forcibly pushed onto the stool.

"You wore that sweater the day I picked you up from school after our night Port Angeles," Edward whispered. His eyes never left the screen and I wondered if he even realized he'd spoken aloud. Alice moved to the floor in front of us to get a better view of the screen just as JP began to speak again.

"Don't be a pussy, Bella. Just do it. I don't care if it sounds like cats fucking, I just need to hear the timing" a visibly irritated JP spat from the screen.

He picked up his old black acoustic guitar, that had been destroyed two years later when one of our equipment crates had been dropped as the crew reloaded the truck after a show in Boston and sat down on the stool next to me. I never did look up as he placed a mic in front of me and tilted it downward toward my reluctant mouth. I was fidgeting with the sleeves of the awful sweater in my discomfort as he counted off the start and began to play.

The beautiful guitar was a composition that JP had written for another song but discarded when he felt the emotion of the song was wrong. The music was simple but moving and I remembered feeling the lyrics as I'd listened to him play.

**How many times have you told me**

**You love her**

**As many times as I wanted **

**To tell you the truth**

I'd never looked at the guys as I'd sung the song the first time but watching it from this vantage-point was a completely different experience. As I sang the first lines, all of the guys looked at each other with identical stunned expressions on their faces. Dimitri smiled widely at JP, whose eyebrows had virtually disappeared into his hairline as I continued to sing. Very quietly in the background of the video were mumbles of "You've got to be shittin' me" and "No fucking way." I had no idea who'd said what but it was nice to hear that my boys had been impressed from the very beginning.

As I entered the chorus for the first time, the camera panned to Chip who was seated in the green chair that he'd normally occupied during our earliest sessions. He had tears in his eyes and his hand was raised above his mouth in disbelief. He looked at Marcus behind the camera and touched his chest tenderly before looking back at me.

**Oh, solitude**

**Still with me**

**There's only you**

**Oh, solitude**

**I can't stay away**

**From you**

"Oh God," Edward breathed in my ear as he watched the song progress. During the second verse, Felix and Dimitri became more distinct parts of the melody. The recall of this night became more and more clear as I watched. This was not only the night I'd begun to sing but also the night we'd discovered the sound that would come to define EverClear over the next several months. I couldn't help but smile at the transformation that occurred during the song. Somewhere during the notes, I'd lost my self-conscious thoughts and let the music take over my heart. I'd realized that the hurt wasn't as painful to sing about as it was to talk about and that it offered a cathartic release of all the pent-up emotions. I also remembered what the verse coming during the bridge was and I reached for Edward's hand, knowing it would be painful for him to hear.

**Everyone leave me stranded**

**But I'm abandoned**

**Left behind**

**I can't stay here another night**

Edward's head tucked into my shoulder as he listened to the painful words pour from my frail former self. I felt more than heard him whisper an apology into the skin he hid his face in my hair but I wanted him to keep watching. I wanted him to see the band and Bella the performer come to life. Without a word Dimitri, Felix and JP transformed the song into something completely different shortly after the bridge. It would become habit for us to rearrange a song without really talking about it but this was the first time it happened. It was also the moment that I realized that we were supposed to be playing together. We just fit.

I nudged my shoulder up enough to raise Edward's head a little. I kissed his forehead gently and motioned toward the screen. Just as he looked back toward the video, I stood up off the stool and grasped the mic. Simultaneously, the sound of the song changed into harder louder version of itself. EverClear was cemented in that moment and the expression of Edward's face as he watched the rest of the song seemed to register understanding of that fact. He watched the rest of the video unfold without so much as blinking.

When the last note faded the voices on the screen began a collective round of "Holy shit" and "Are you fucking kidding me" comments. I smiled the first real smile in more than six months as JP pulled me into his arms and hugged me. We both turned to face Marcus, still behind the camera and waved.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'd like you to meet our new lead singer, Bella Swan," video JP laughed into the screen before it went blank.

"Do you remember the promise we made that night?" the JP on the floor in front of me asked as he turned to face us. I knew exactly what he was referring to and I groaned. Edward looked at me curiously for a moment; his eyes still not completely freed of the pain that had settled in during the song.

"I do," I said confidently both in response to JP's question and to my husband's unspoken need for reassurance. He got it immediately. He leaned in quickly and kissed me with the overflowing emotions that ran through his head. I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled him further into my mouth. His hands gripped my waist a little too tightly as he tried to release the hurt that seemed to be fading away with each caress of my tongue against his. When the need for air finally became to pronounced to ignore any further, I pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.

"How can I ask you to walk away from that," he said quietly into my ear as he hugged me. "How can I possibly take that away from you?"

"Your not, baby. You gave me my music. Now I want to share it with you. You're not taking anything away from me. Just give me forever with you."

"Say the word and it's done. I love you," he said firmly after a long silence.

"I love you too Edward. I always have."

"Eddie," JP interrupted the nearly silent conversation that we were having. "Don't you need to go hunt or something?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the not so subtle request for a little alone time with me. Only what Edward didn't know was that it wasn't alone time with just me. That rainy cold night in Seattle so long ago, we'd made a promise to each other. A promise that could only be fulfilled by the original members of EverClear and only if we ever managed a number one album.

"Well, I guess I could stand to feed. Why?"

" JP! Blowjobs!" I shouted at him in an attempt to derail his memory of our conversation that night so long ago. The look on his face and the groan Edward let out at the same time told me that my tactic had worked. "Don't tell him. I want it to be a surprise, "

"Oh, God almighty. JP, that's my sister you're thinking about!" Edward shouted as he winced. Obviously, the idiot got my meaning and decided to not just block him but disgust him as well. "That was below the belt, Bella."

Alice, Chip and JP all laughed hysterically at Edward's disgust. He looked at me for support, but all I could do was howl with the rest of them. For once, I wanted him to be in the dark.

"I promise you'll find out soon," I tried to placate my still uncomfortable husband as JP loaned another disc into the player.

The grainy image that projected outward was a more familiar memory. We were again in JP's apartment only the weather had turned snowy. It was mid day but the thick layer of clouds gave the afternoon the appearance of being much later. The fire was roaring and scattered everywhere the camera panned were empty pizza boxes and beer bottles. On the small coffee table, someone had erected a pyramid out of the brown bottles that teetered precariously with every thud of the bass drum that played loudly in the background as Felix tried to set up his kit. There were also the stunted tinkering sounds of the piano as I had attempted to work on fitting the melody to the lyrics that had been scrawled out on several napkins and were perched on the lid of the instrument.

As the cameraman, this time Chip, turned in a small circle, the occupants of the room all came into view. Stretched out on the couch was Dimitri chugging a beer as if his life depended on it. His guitar was on the cushion next to him and he had one leg thrown across the arm of the couch in a very relaxed posture. As Chip turned, JP's hideous green chair, which actually still sat in his new apartment, came into view. Seated in the chair was JP and perched on the arm leaning into him was none other than Heidi. Her long dark hair flowed down her back and onto JP's shoulders as he tuned his guitar. She was watching something off camera very intently and JP was watching her just as intensely. The look on his face made me gasp as I stared at the screen because he gazed at Heidi exactly the way I'd caught Edward looking at me a thousand different times. There was a gentle smile on his face that gave away his utter contentment.

I saw my friend's back stiffen at the same moment my eyes began to sting. Without thinking, I pulled away from Edward just long enough to tug on the back of JP's shirt. Wordlessly, he scooted back on his rear until his back was against the couch and he was situated directly in front of me. I gave Edward a small smile, hoping he would understand why I'd pulled away from him, and bent my right leg underneath me. The new position allowed me to lean forward and wrap my arms around JP's shoulders. As soon as my arms stilled around him, he leaned his head back onto my shoulder and grasped my hand in his.

The images on the screen continued to flicker past us and I noticed that Chip had moved to the couch and was now sitting beside Edward. The voices on the screen were happy and hopeful as the members of the band kidded around with each other. It was my voice in the speaker that hushed the video images of Dimitri and JP and made them turn their heads toward an off screen me.

**Will you forgive me again**

**I don't know what I've said**

**But I didn't mean to hurt you**

I sang the first few lines with nothing more than the piano. As soon as I had begun, the other musicians had shifted their attention to me and almost unconsciously picked up their instruments. When they joined in, the accompaniment was perfect. JP gently strummed his acoustic guitar, Felix beat out a low steady rhythm and Dimitri added just enough guitar to build the momentum of the song.

The camera turned rapidly toward me at the piano, the snow falling lightly in the window behind me. I was hunched over the keys in concentration, trying to read the lyrics that JP had scratched out. The song was an apology he'd written to Heidi for something that he'd done the previous week and I remembered thinking that it was probably the most honest work I'd ever seen from him.

"Who is that?" I heard Edward whisper to Chip from behind me. I could still feel the comfort of his body even as I tried to soothe the gangly bass player in my arms. His eyes never left the screen as the camera panned around the room. By the midway point of the song, the lens had refocused on Heidi and him in the large chair. She was now draped across his shoulders completely with her cheek resting on the top of his head.

"That, my dear Edward, is JP's you. That's Heidi. Once upon a time, JP was in love," he explained. I felt JP shudder in my arms and I leaned in to him further and kissed his jaw. His grip on my hand tightened but he still could not tear his eyes away from the screen.

Cause you were made for me

**Somehow I'll make you see**

**How happy you make**

**And I can't live this life**

**Without you by my side**

I need you to survive

"What happened?" Edward asked as I hugged JP even tighter. I felt a couple of hot tears drip onto my satin covered arm. Just as I noticed the wetness, Alice moved to JP's side and wrapped her arms around his waist. He chuckled a little as he wound his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

"Their break up combined with Bella's emotional meltdowns over you is what created most of Fallen. About a week after this was shot, they split up and she moved out. He was, still is, devastated. That's why he and baby girl are so close. They held each other's hand through the same feelings," I heard Chip continue. I felt Edward rubbing my back lightly, offering me his own form of comfort at the memories of life without him. "It's been harder on him than he'd like anyone to know."

The song ended and cheers from all around the small room on the screen drown out the last few lines that I'd sung. The last image on the screen before the camera went black was of JP leaning up and kissing Heidi as the rest of us let a collective "aww" fill the air.

JP sniffed twice and quickly wiped the back of his arm across his eyes. With a small kiss to Alice's forehead and then the corner of my mouth he rose to his feet. Without ever looking at anyone directly, he started toward the door, leaving the collection he'd been so excited about laying in the floor forgotten. He'd just about made it to the door when he turned to face us and I saw just how red his eyes were. The sight broke my heart because I knew all too well just how much pain he was in at that moment. If I'd had a video of Edward and I back then, a single frame would probably have sent me into a full-blown panic attack. I wished desperately that I could take away the hurt from my friend, particularly given the happiness he'd exuded just a few minutes earlier, but understood that there was only one person that could truly make it all better.

"Um, Bells, I'll call ya in a couple of hours about that other thing," he said uncertainly as he looked at the floor with his hands tucked awkwardly into the pockets of his jeans.

I stood from the couch and crossed the room to him. I hugged him tightly and he returned the sentiment enthusiastically. After just a moment, he pulled back and kissed me one more quick time.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the day for ya."

"Honey, I love you. You didn't ruin anything. Go relax and I'll see you in a little while," I tried to reassure him. "We've got a promise to keep."

The last words made him smile and I was grateful to see his eyes shine just a little. I stood in my spot near the door until he'd vanished from sight. I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist and I leaned into his chest.

"You're very good for him," he said gently into my ear.

"He's been very good for me. And to me. I just wish I could make it better for him. I know how much it hurts," I said as I turned to face him. His eyes told me that he was thinking a thousand miles a minute as I spoke.

"What if there was a way?"

I smiled, as I understood what Edward meant. I knew him well enough to know that if he saw a situation as a problem, then his reaction was to fix it. It made me crazy when he did it sometimes, but in this case I was overjoyed at his eagerness to correct the situation.

"Really? You would do that?" I asked him as I stretched up on my toes and threw my arms around his neck. He lifted me off the floor slightly and smiled brilliantly at my reaction.

"For you, I'd do anything. And for him. The asshole has grown on me," he laughed as he kissed the tip of my nose. "Emmett? You up for a little challenge with Jasper?" he called over his shoulder.

"Always, little bro. What you got in mind?"

Alice clapped her hands together wildly as Edward turned us to face the living room. She laughed loudly and freely as she stared at Emmett. Edward chuckled at whatever she was thinking as she rose to her feet and crossed to Emmett.

"Care to make a little wager as to who is the better detective Em?" she taunted him.

"Always. But it seems really unfair to take your money. Besides, don't you think we ought to let Jasper know your entering him into a bet?"

"Oh, he'll be in. Any chance to prove how much more clever he is than you is a no-brainer," she continued to tease him as he stared at her in shock.

"Game on little sister. Game on."

Chapter Notes: Fire up the batteries in the laptop or Ipod. Next chapter has a ton of music with it. You can guess that EverClear and the Cullens out on the town will result is more than a few laughs.

**You know what I'm looking for. Make me smile and I'll see you guys very soon.**


	22. Chapter 22Suprises

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe. But you guys already knew that.**

**Special thanks to all of you that voted in the Moonlight Awards. I appreciate your continued support and love for these guys. Also, special thanks to whoever the genius was that put the clip of a stripping Edward into the new extended trailer for New Moon. If I could find that person, I would seriously kiss the hell out of him.**

**A touch of angst, a few emotional scenes, a lot of fluff and some kick ass music for you guys. Hope you enjoy. And oh, did I forget to mention that we might be warming up for another lemony chapter? **

**Playlist:**

**Master of Puppets- Metallica**

**Seek and Destroy- Metallica**

**Enter Sandman- Metallica**

**Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - Metallica (This is the only must listen to of the group. You really need to hear the song if you're not familiar with the music. You've trusted me this long, so take my word for it.)**

Chapter 22-Suprises

EPOV

JP's somber declaration that he would call Bella in "a couple of hours" turned out to be less than forty-five minutes later before he was beating down the door again. When I'd opened the door for him, gone was the hollow broken expression that he'd worn when he'd left and in its place was the wild-eyed excitement that he'd initially arrived with. But that look had haunted me.

I knew all too well what he felt in that moment as he watched the small screen fill with images of his lost love. It was almost eerie how similar our actions and emotions were sometimes. Both of us, by our own actions, had driven away the one thing in life that meant the most and both of us suffered the consequences on a constant basis for years. The thought of being able to ease that pain, even minutely, had been too strong a draw to ignore. There was never a question of trying to help him rectify his situation, even if all I could do was to offer him information that she was safe and happy. I knew from intimate experience that even that small solace would be welcomed and appreciated.

But I would need my brothers' help for that. Making it a contest between the two had been Alice's idea of how to make them more enthusiastic about the project and admittedly, it worked. As soon as JP had literally thrown my wife over his shoulder and carried her into the hallway to their waiting band mates, I'd phoned both Emmett and Jasper. Emmett obviously knew of the conversation and filling Jasper in had been easy. We'd all decided to go hunting and discuss the specifics for a couple of hours while everyone was away.

Alice, in her nearly omniscient sometimes maddening way, had seen that I would loudly protest not accompanying Bella on whatever the outing of the day was and headed off the argument by informing me that both she and Rose would be accompanying EverClear on their mission before she'd even left our room. Whether her offer was to placate me or make the hunting expedition a more readily agreed to outing, I didn't know or care. I was simply grateful to her, and Rose, for watching over Bella even when everyone else thought I was being overprotective. Alice, above all others, understood just what an enormous fear coursed through me at any amount of separation from Bella. Her understanding sprang from the unfortunate knowledge gained during her vision of my death and my wife's emotional spiral at my loss. While I didn't envy her the specifics of her visions, I'd seen enough of them in her thoughts to know what a burden she carried.

We'd started our brief expedition with a few minutes perusal of the forgotten films in the floor. We watched several of them, hoping to garner any information that might help in the location of Heidi. We'd found very little in the small segments of film that would give us any clues as to how to start searching for her, but we found a tremendous amount of information on the relationships that existed within the band.

Some of the clips were hysterically funny, some were very touching to watch and two were excruciating. Ten minutes into our search, we'd come across a clip of Bella and JP sitting at opposite ends of a couch arguing over a set list that was placed on the table in front of them. If I had to guess, I would have said that she was maybe twenty-one at the time of the video based on nothing more than the length of her hair. She was beautiful, as always, but her appearance was still somewhat disturbing. Her skin still had the same dull pallor to it and her eyes were ringed with deep shadows. They were arguing animatedly about the order of songs for an upcoming performance. Some of the songs they'd discussed were songs that were on the first album and some were not. Someone off camera had apparently grown tired of listening to the back and forth bickering between them and with a loud huff, had begun to flip through the channels on the television. Both Bella and JP seemed to pay no attention to the images five feet in front of them until the channel landed on what must have been some kind of classic movie channel.

On the screen was the black and white version of _Romeo & Juliet_. As I watched, a fleeting memory of being stretched out on the coarse fabric of Charlie Swan's couch with my love pulled against my chest flickered through my mind. But the small smile that had just begun to form at the corners of my lips at the memory of the way her body felt leaning against mine as I whispered the lines of Romeo into her ear faded a second later. I watched horror struck as their argument came to an abrupt halt as her gaze flickered toward the screen in front of her and her words died mid-sentence. The hand she'd had outstretched to make a point to JP began to visibly shake and even through the less than high quality audio equipment on the camera, I could hear her breath catch in her throat.

I was witnessing one of her panic attacks.

I'd seen the aftermath of one in Atlanta and I'd had brief glimpses through the minds of those around her of exactly what her attacks had entailed. But watching it unfold before my eyes was pain beyond measure. It didn't take long for the guys in the room to recognize what was happening, even if none of them understood what had triggered it. JP seemed panicky as he tried futilely to draw her from the prison her mind locked her in. He reached both hands toward her shoulders in an effort to steady her quivering body. At his touch, Bella violently jerked away from him and rose to her feet. Her eyes were blank as she took two small steps away from the couch. Unfortunately, her foot caught the nearest leg of the table in front of them and she crashed against the hard wood floor. The cameraman had hastily set the camera on a table and fled from the room trying to find anyone that could help her through the nightmare that they were helpless to prevent. By the time someone had summoned help, in this case Marcus, Bella was on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen. And she had a large gash just below the hair line that bled profusely from the impact of the fall. Tears streamed down her face so quickly that her shirt had been soaked in a matter of seconds. Her arms had locked around her chest as her body seized with the force of the pain that gripped her. Finally, Marcus had lifted her into his arms and carried her away, quietly murmuring calming words into her ear as he disappeared into the periphery of the camera lens.

The three of us sat motionless as we watched the scene unfold. It was only with Jasper's assistance and Emmett's reassuring words that it what we'd just watched was a long time ago that I was able to pull myself from the beginnings of my own meltdown. Jasper's suggestion that we turn the television off had been shot down immediately. My hunger for knowledge about our time apart had been awakened and I could no more have stopped watching than I could have stopped loving her. Reluctantly, Emmett had decided on playing one of the memory cards rather than the discs in hopes that the contents wouldn't be a painful to witness.

The second clip, while still horrible to see, wasn't quite as dramatic. But the enormity of what I'd done to her so long ago was possibly more overwhelming. The sharp image of the inside of the tour bus blinked to life and we found ourselves looking at what had to be a very recent clip. It was obviously late night in this film, because aside from the blackness that filled the windows of the screen, it was possible to make out the sleeping form of Jane on same couch that I myself had laid on just a few weeks ago. Dimitri and JP were sitting at the small dining table pouring over sheets of paper. It was difficult to make out exactly what they were doing, but they seemed to be writing out the sheet music to a song. The two of them were passing a small neatly rolled cigarette back and forth. It was only when JP inhaled deeply, smiled guiltily and then offered the joint to the camera operator that it registered with me what they were doing. Apparently, my human upbringings were not completely buried because I stared mutely, and somewhat incredulously, at the casual acceptance of the illegal substance by the hand that readily took the pot with muttered thanks.

Barely visible on the left side of the screen was a small white baby monitor with a single red light that glowed ominously against the ebony window. Whoever was filming seemed to be immersed in their own high as the camera tilted slightly and settled into an unmoving angle. I looked at Jaz and Em, who were both smiling like they'd just found a treasure chest buried in the back yard. But again, the smiles were short lived. In the next second a muted voice beamed from the monitor on the counter and ice ran through my veins.

"Edward. No, please."

The voice was unmistakably Bella's. Her enunciation was slower than usual, indicating that she was sleeping but the pain in her words would have been evident even to someone that didn't know her. Both Dimitri and JP's heads snapped toward the monitor at her cries and they stared unmoving, waiting to see if she would continue.

"Please, don't leave. Edward, please," she cried out again just a few seconds later, tears now evident in her voice. The sound on the rustling of the sheets was also evident and I could picture her sleeping form tossing restlessly as her nightmare continued.

"Fucking bastard. I swear to God if I ever get my hands on him," JP snarled as he continued to stare at the monitor.

"Should we wake Chip?" Dimitri asked, his voice betraying none of the slurring that the drugs should have produced.

They got their answer in the next moment. A series of blood curdling screams rang through the night air from the confines of the monitor. Both men shot up from their seats and disappeared from view and the camera was tossed haphazardly onto a seat cushion, offering nothing but a view of the underside of the table and the heart wrenching sounds of the continued sobbing of my wife.

"Edward, come on. Enough of this," Emmett said with a finality in his voice as he killed the power on the video recorder. "None of that matters anymore. You guys are together and this is a big day for her. Don't let this ruin it for either of you."

Emmett was rarely serious or authoritative, but I knew as I listened to his voice that his words were not only correct but left no room for argument. The enormity of what I'd put her through would never leave her and was forever embodied in her songs, but he was right. I didn't want to take the momentous occasion away from her and the blackness that was beginning to seep into my mind would do just that. So I acquiesced. We left the hotel without a word and headed out.

The hunting trip proved to be good for all of us. Carlisle had been right in Atlanta when he'd suggested I hunt after the first night of Bella's reappearance and this trip was no different. As the hours passed and our thirsts were not just quenched but indulged, the hideous images of what I'd watched began to lessen. By the time we returned to the hotel, we were all in lighter frames of mind.

So it was with very light eyes and an almost glutted feel that my brothers and I stepped back off the elevator at a quarter after six in the evening. We'd been informed that the cars would arrive at seven to take us to the first of what promised to be several locations and that we needed to be dressed and ready to go by then, regardless of hunting conditions. We'd taken three steps down the corridor when Jasper stopped dead in his tracks. Emmett and I both turned to face him, tensed for the danger that could bring him to such a sudden standstill. But the smile on his face erased all defensive instincts. He looked positively giddy as he stood in the generic beige hallway and began to laugh hysterically.

"Holy shit," Jasper choked out between guffaws. Emmett and I stared wide eyed with identical amused expressions on our faces, waiting for him to explain. I noticed a long forgotten but familiar scent in the air at the same moment that Emmett spoke.

"What the hell, man. What's going on? Wait. What's that?"

"They are going absolutely ape shit in there," Jasper gasped. "I mean completely fucking batty!"

The muted sounds drifted down the narrow corridor and filled us all with happiness. Alice's tinkling laughter rang out like a chorus of angels, JP was yelling in delight and above them all, I could hear the sweetest sound in the world. Bella was laughing deeply and genuinely. The smile that broke out on my face as we quickly made our way down the hallway had to have been ridiculous, but I simply didn't care. Bella was happy and I needed to see that light shine from her eyes.

As I reached for the small plastic key card, the scent that hung in the air registered. Vampire. And not a vampire with the last name Cullen. I pushed the door open quickly and took in the chaotic scene before us, tensed with the new scent in the air.

Directly across from my line of sight, Alice and Rosalie were both stretched out in the floor talking rapidly to the two people seated in the slightly oversized chairs next to the window. Chip sat in one of the chairs fully engaged in a conversation with both my sisters and none other than Tanya Denali. At our entrance, her head snapped toward us and she smiled dazzlingly. Before I, or any of us for that matter, could utter a word, Bella tore from the bedroom clutching the largest water gun I'd ever laid eyes on. Her fingers were twisted strangely into the trigger as she leapt up onto the couch cushion and faced the still open bedroom door. Less than five seconds later, JP and Dimitri followed. Both looked as if they'd showered with their clothes still on. On second thought, they might not have been quite as drenched as they were if they'd actually gotten under the spray. Both clutched small plastic dart guns and both had their arms extended out toward Bell as she teetered on the couch.

But the absolute boundless joy that radiated off them was what had my attention. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She was dressed in a form fitting white tank top and a pair or my boxers. Her hair swirled around her as she bounced on the springs of the couch. Her face was flushed with her exertion and she was breathing heavily, as if she'd been running for a while. Her eyes flashed to me and her smile grew impossibly wider as she saw me grinning like a fool at her. Only the movement of the two men toward her pulled her eyes away from me. I watched with unabashed glee as they both charged around the couch toward her, firing the tiny suction cup tipped darts at her. Without ever breaking her conversation or shifting her eyes toward them, Tanya moved her foot into the path of JP's attack just as he crossed in front of her, muttering something about taking the sugar away from the kids to Chip as JP crashed hard to the floor at her feet. The sabotage, while leaving the two towering men flailing on the floor, sent everyone that had witnessed the stupendous display into a fit of laughter.

Bella didn't hesitate to fire her water gun at the two of them as they struggled to untangle themselves from each other. The harsh stream of water pelted them and ricocheted off their bodies and onto my sisters as they delicately rolled away from the may-lay, laughing loudly.

"You shit! You'll pay for that," JP choked out between bursts of laughter as he rose to his feet. Bella reacted instantly. She shot one more stream directly into his face and threw herself off the couch and ran toward where the three of us stood, amusedly stunned by the bizarre game we were witnessing.

"Edward! Help me," she laughed as she flung herself behind me, dropping her weapon as she moved. Her hands gripped the side of my shirt tightly enough to pull the fabric from its seam as she ducked her head behind me, turning me into a shield from her attackers.

I couldn't help but laugh as I wrapped my arms backwards around her and pulled her tightly against my body. It was when her chest made contact with my shoulder blade that I smelled the faintest hint of her blood.

"I've got you, baby," I tried to reassure her as Jasper doubled over in laughter at the antics.

JP stalked towards us with his ridiculous gun pointed at us, firing the crazy little suction cups with little to no aim. The missiles flew randomly in our direction, but only one managed to find a target. Directly in the middle of Emmett's forehead. The hard smooth surface of our skin provided the perfect place for the tiny sucker to adhere. JP looked shell shocked by his actions for a split second before the ear splitting laughter rang out all around us.

Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and laced her fingers together in her attempt to remain upright as she laughed. Chip and Tanya nearly slid out of their chairs as Alice and Rose rolled on the floor laughing. With out a word and with a much too serious expression, Emmett slowly reached up and pulled the dart from his forehead with a loud popping noise. Still gripping the toy in his hand, he reached forward and palmed JP's face like a basketball, ginning evilly at him.

This particular action sent us all over the edge and into hysterics. The laughter was loud and raucous. It bounced from every corner of the room and poured from every mouth in the suite. I clutched Bella tightly as her knees began to buckle from her laughter.

"Ow, dude," JP tried to say from behind Emmett's enormous palm. "That fuckin' hurts."

With a loud snort, Emmett shoved him away with a thud against the far wall. Jasper was incoherent as he absorbed the emotions of everyone in the room, which did nothing but prolong our ridiculousness. With a start, JP shot toward me, attempting once again to catch Bella.

But she was quick. She leapt out of the way, aided by my turning her away from him and began to sprint back toward the living room. But the quick movements of the two of them sent another wave of blood into the air. It was both of them. They were both bleeding very slightly. I grabbed Bella around the waist and pulled her toward my chest just as she made her break for the safety of Chip and Alice no doubt. Emmett also seized JP around the waist, his dreadlocks flying wildly around his face, and halted his retreat. Bella wiggled and squirmed in my arms trying to avoid JP's reaching hands, even though locked in Emmett's steel embrace, he had no chance of reaching her.

"Baby, stop. You're bleeding," I whispered into her hair. I was immediately concerned that the stitching where her chest tube had been had pulled loose. I didn't think that the wound was still fresh enough for that but it made no sense why her blood would be flowing, even in small amounts. My eyes began to search for the source of the dizzying scent. I scanned her neck, her arms, and her legs, everything I could without actually pulling at her clothing. I was reaching for the edge of her tank top when she laughed and twisted in my arms.

"I'm fine Edward. I promise." Her smile was blazing as she cut her eyes to JP, the same devious expression etched on both their faces. The knowing smirk did little to ease my nerves. In fact, if anything, I grew more nervous. She stepped away from me before she turned to face the living room. "Guys! Come here, please."

I was concerned when I realized that both of my sisters, Chip and Tanya were all blocking their thoughts from me. Between the recitations of the upcoming Fashion Week line up, the precise torque ratios of the new 911 and, God help me, Miley Cyrus being screamed at top volume, I was quickly going to loose my mind if they didn't hurry up and reveal their secret to us.

Silently, but all wearing identical grins, the remaining humans in the room gathered around Bella and JP. They snickered quietly as my brothers and I stared in confusion at the band.

"Dude, a long time ago, we all made a promise to each other. Jane wasn't with us then," JP said sweetly as he looked over at her and grinned, "but when she joined us, we drew her into the pact. If we ever reached number one, there was something we each agreed to do to commemorate the event."

Slowly, JP pushed the sleeve of his white tee shirt up and over his bicep. Turning his body slightly, he offered a full frontal view of the new tattoo that graced his arm. There in the center of his muscle was an exact image of the monogram insignia that Bella had worn around her neck for so many years. The oval was about three inches tall and the small lines of the delicate silver wove their way to the center where a large script "E" and "C" were intertwined. Just below the curve of the bottom of the oval was the word "EverClear".

Wordlessly, Dimitri pulled his shirt up over his back and turned in the opposite direction. Situated high on his right shoulder was the same image. Felix thrust his forearm out and toward me, again showing the small insignia. Below each of them, the beautiful italicized word was scrawled with precision.

"We've used the image for years, as a logo," JP explained as Jane pulled the hem of her shirt up to reveal her identical tattoo on her abdomen just above her hip bone.

My eyes flashed to Bella. She slowly turned her back to me and lifted the hem of her tank top with the fingers that protruded from her cast while simultaneously pulling the waistband of the shorts down a couple of inches. At the base of her spine just above her tailbone was the same beautiful image. Only it was altered slightly. "EverClear" was penned in the same place as the rest of the band but circling the top of her oval were two words.

Edward. Cullen.

My name.

Etched into the perfection of her skin for all time.

I knelt down bringing myself eye level with her ass and pushed the shirt a little further up her back. Her hair tickled my forehead as it hung down her back and I noticed that her skin was red around the edges of the tattoo and slightly swollen in irritation. I lightly traced the oval shape and then ran my finger over the words. She shivered slightly at my touch but didn't move to turn away. She looked over her shoulder and down at me just as I looked up. Here bottom lip was pulled unintentionally seductively between her teeth but her eyes were filled with worry.

"Are you mad?" she asked quietly.

I just stared at her for a second. How she could possibly think I would be mad about something so incredible was beyond me. I smiled her favorite crooked grin at her and watched as her endless eyes came alive with pleasure.

"Bella," I all but moaned as I stared at the permanent tribute to her love for me, "this is exquisite. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." I looked back up at her from under my eyelashes before I continued. "Not to mention the sexiest fucking thing I've ever laid my eyes on." I leaned forward and placed my lips against the adornment as softly as I was capable of.

Her eyes absolutely shown with relief and happiness at my reaction. She lowered her fingers and scraped them through my hair, sending shivers of my own through my body.

"I told you he absolutely kissed her ass," Rose laughed.

Both of us whipped our heads toward the opposite side of the room to see Rose talking to Tanya. They were both amused at my display and I was grateful that Tanya's thoughts were, for once, not filled with the vulgar thoughts that she usually reserved for me.

"I most certainly do," I said playfully as I placed my lips directly on her left butt cheek and kissed loudly. Everyone laughed as I stood back up and pulled her into my arms. Jasper had moved to Alice and was talking to Tanya, while Emmett still continued to pick at JP, pulling him by the ends of his dreadlocks toward Rose.

"Do you really like it?" she asked me with less hesitancy in her voice.

"Baby, the only thing I've ever like more on you is your wedding ring. I'm honored. Thank you," I told her honestly as I kissed her. She opened her mouth to me and I wasted no time showing her my appreciation for the gesture.

"Well, I never thought I would see the day that Edward Cullen willingly stuck his tongue down someone's throat," Tanya gloated as she approached us, still locked in each others embrace.

"Tanya, how are you? I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to be here," I said as Bella laid her head against my chest.

"I'm good. I would ask you the same, but I don't think anyone could miss how you are," she said sincerely. She looked down at Bella and smiled softly. "Honey, you've got a good one. And he's waited a long time for you. I'm thrilled for you both. Congratulations."

"Thank you Tanya," Bella said with no hint of uneasiness or shyness in her voice. I looked down at her, cocking my eyebrow in question of her easy acceptance of the nearly six foot tall strawberry blonde that had tried on more than one occasion to seduce me. I wasn't sure of how much she knew about her previous attempts at seducing me, but given Tanya's relationship with Chip, I figured she must know at least some of the escapades. She shrugged her shoulders once before kissing me again.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go get dressed," she said confidently as she nodded to Tanya, whose thoughts had turned just a little jealous of Bella. I watched as she crossed the room, that glorious tattoo swaying temptingly, and disappeared into the bedroom with Chip right behind her.

I turned to see Tanya still staring at me, her mouth pulled into a knowing smirk.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked as politely as possible.

"Just passing through on the way to New York. I've seen you two on the news a lot lately and I just wanted to drop in and say hello to a few old friends."

To my utter astonishment, she reached her hand out toward Jane and pulled her into her side. Tiny little Jane looked up and into her golden eyes with a look of pure lust. I chuckled under my breath as the thoughts of both women in front of me turned decidedly X-rated.

"Edward," Chip called from behind the closed door of the bedroom. "Your clothes are in the living room. Get your ass dressed. We leave in fifteen minutes."

"He never changes," Tanya laughed as she looked toward the door.

"No, I don't suppose he does. But I owe him more than I could ever repay."

"She's wonderful Edward. Seriously, I'm glad that you two found your way back to each other. I knew when you showed up at our house all those years ago that you were fighting the inevitable."

Tanya and I had never had a particularly close relationship but I saw her in a new light as she spoke. She was genuine and happy for us. The thought occurred to me as I looked at her that maybe I'd misjudged her all those years ago. The thought occurred and was dismissed with the very next sentence out of her mouth.

"Still, if you two ever feel adventurous, let me know. I would love to be able to brag that I'd bedded every member of EverClear."

"Um, no thanks but I'll pass on your offer."

"Don't bother; I already made the offer to her."

"Really? What did she say?" I asked with embarrassed curiosity. I absolutely cringed at the thought of the conversation she was referring to. I couldn't imagine how Bella would have reacted. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Emmett was trying, and failing, to look like he wasn't hanging on every word of the conversation.

"She told me, no thank you. That she didn't intend to share your dick with anyone."

I howled with laughter as Emmett let out a loud snort. I didn't think it was possible to love her any more but the thought of her saying something so crude in her innocent voice did it.

Twenty minutes later, I sat in the living room, dressed in my Chip approved black slacks and jacket, with my brothers and Tanya, Jane sitting demurely on her lap as Tanya rubbed small circles on her back. Rose and Alice had retreated into the bedroom to help finish getting everyone ready. I'd listened to Bella and Chip argue over whatever it was that he'd laid out for her to wear for ten minutes before I'd sent Alice in as reinforcements for her. The squeal of the hinges pulled my attention away from the conversation and I looked over my shoulder toward the door.

Alice quickly pulled the handle shut and grinned the most intimidating smile at me that I'd ever seen. Without a word, she walked to Jasper and folded herself in his lap. She was dressed to the hilt in a tiny red leather dress and stilettos that Jasper obviously appreciated. A wave of pure arousal swept the room the moment she touched him.

"Jaz, tone it down a notch please," I asked as I watched him all but attack Alice. She pulled away from his mouth and turned to face me.

"You, dear brother are in more trouble tonight than you've ever been in. I don't think you're going to know how to handle your sweet innocent wife tonight."

"She's not so innocent," Emmett added as the handle to the door turned again. "She did bite her fucking hand for him."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Tanya chimed in as her gazed wandered over my shoulder and toward the door.

Dimitri, Felix and JP filed out of the room looking like they were heading on stage rather than out on the town. They all wore rich textured leather in various forms and all the requisite black and metal was in place. The mischievous grin on JP's face told me that they had something else up their sleeve. But before I could worry about what they were thinking, Bella walked out of the bedroom and every thought I had in my head left in an instant.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

She was looking down at the tiny black motorcycle jacket she held in her hand as she walked out of the doorway. Her hair hung down around her face and fell forward as she pulled at one of the zippers on the coat futilely with the fingers not enclosed in her cast. But her waist length mane of hair couldn't hide the outfit Chip had dressed her in for the evening. Yeah, I was definitely going to have to buy him his own island for this one.

Maybe Hawaii. Or fucking Australia.

She had on the shortest skirt I'd ever seen in more than one hundred years on the planet. Black and red plaid pleated fabric that could not have been more than twelve inches long hung from a waist band that sat so low on her hip that her hipbones were clearly visible, as was the perfect outline of her tight stomach. A tiny white button down shirt that seemed to be painted on it was so tight was tied in the center. The black lace bra underneath was clearly visible since none of the buttons had been done and the sleeves were very short. Peeking out from the bottom of the sinful skirt were tiny black satin garters that connected to very dark black thigh-high tights. On her feet was what could only be described as "fuck-me" heels. And laced tightly around her neck was her crest.

"Oh, fuck me," I groaned as I jumped over the back of the couch and pulled her against me. She looked up startled at my actions as I walked her backwards until her body pressed against the wall directly beside the door.

"I take it you like the outfit," she teased as I leaned down and licked on the spot behind her ear that always earned me a moan of pleasure.

"We're not going out," I growled as I pushed my hips against hers and I slid my hands down her back and then cupped her ass. I nearly lost it when I felt her bare skin underneath the skirt, only a small strip of lace pulled tightly up the center.

"Edward!" Chip yelled as he exited the bedroom. "Stop, you're going to screw up her hair and makeup."

"Don't care," we both said as I hitched her right leg up and over my hip. My lips had yet to break contact with her skin as I devoured any part of her I could reach without shredding the decadent clothing. "What part of 'more fabric' don't you understand Chip?"

"Ahem," Alice cleared her throat from beside us. I turned my head to see her smiling at my display of inappropriateness. It was only then that I remembered we were in a room full of people that were probably watching our every move.

I looked back to Bella, her eyes shining with lust and amusement. She smiled brilliantly as she kissed me softly before releasing her leg. She straightened up a bit and I reluctantly detached my hips from her.

"Later, I promise," she said in that low tenor that drove me absolutely insane.

"God Almighty, are you trying to kill me," I asked her as I raked my eyes over every inch of her body. "Turn around."

She laughed as she turned away from me. When she had completed half her spin, she looked over her shoulder at me. The skirt was so fucking short that all she would need to do was to arch her back slightly and her ass would be peeking out. But by far, the most erotic part of the entire outfit was that her tattoo, and my name, was clearly visible above the waist band of the sinful skirt.

"Eddie, dude, I'm begging you. Just once can I...," JP whined as he too raked his eyes over her body.

"I will rip your tongue out if you finish that sentence," I warned him as light-heartedly as I could manage given the assault of the ever increasingly dirty fantasies that flickered through his head.

"Enough," Chip barked as Bella turned to face me again. The snickers that bounced around the room at my reaction died in the air as he pulled everyone's attention to him. "If you guys are going to insist on doing this, we need to leave." He faced the band as he continued. "You guys are going in one car and we'll be right behind you," he said as he motioned to my family and himself.

"Oh, thank you Jesus," JP barked out while pretending to open his arms to the Heavens. "I get to be the seat cushion, since we all know that Bitch can't sit anywhere but on someone's lap."

"No way," I growled at the same moment.

Chip spun quickly to face me, surprised at the true hostility in my voice. His thoughts were slightly fearful as he looked at me. "Edward, this is as much a business excursion as it is playtime. The band needs to arrive together and then we can all meet up in the seating area."

"But Edward's part of EverClear," my unfuckingbelievably sexy wife protested as she moved to my side. I wrapped my arm around her hips and had to close my eyes in concentration as my fingers brushed the tiny garter "I'm not going anywhere without him," she finished with a pout.

Chip looked at her and then to me and back again before he blew out his breath in resignation. He had long ago learned to pick his battles with my girl and realized that this was one she would stand firm on.

"Fine, Edward goes with us. Now can we please leave? I'm starving and if we don't leave, like right this second, we're not going to have time to eat."

"I guess that means I get to be the seat cushion," I said smugly to JP as we all trailed out of the room in a whirlwind of laughter and excited shouts.

Dinner turned out to be an event unlike any I could remember. The sight alone of six vampires and seven humans sitting around a table for dinner was enough to make the scene feel like something out of a comedy. The vampires pushed the repugnant food around on their plates covertly while everyone else ate like it was their last meal. The wine and liquor poured freely throughout the hour and a half long ordeal. Much to my surprise, Bella joined everyone in their consumption and by the time we all piled back into the cars, she was flushed and giggling with the rest of them. She wasn't drunk but her inhibitions were significantly lowered.

And that was a dangerously wonderful thing in combination with the straight from my fantasies outfit.

When we finally arrived at the coliseum we were ushered through the rear gates into the staff entrance. The moment we stepped out of the car, it was evident that the show had already begun. The staging area was enormous. I had only ever been to the backstage areas of the clubs that EverClear played, so I was unprepared for how big a production the concert was. There seemed to be literally dozens of people behind the stage working on everything from lighting sets to instruments. There was also an enormous amount of people that were simply milling around the area. Some were journalist, some were industry people and a large portion seemed to be fans or groupies. The thundering music surrounded us like water as we were all given passes to hang around our necks and led to section of the audience that was sectioned off from the general admission seats.

As I walked with the other members of the band, I was struck by how much they reminded me of that night in Atlanta. The formed themselves into a tight group that surrounded Bella. The only difference was that I was now directly behind her with my hand on her hip rather than thirty feet away and frozen solid. The smile that I couldn't repress at the thought of being permanently in her inner circle broke free just as she stepped down onto the seating area. She walked directly to the metal railing and leaned her upper body over slightly, giving me a brief shot of that perfect ass. I couldn't resist the smile that spread across my face as she turned to look over her shoulder at me and smiled. Her face was alive with the energy of the audience and the music that she already seemed completely consumed by.

It was less than five minutes before our family joined us in the corded off area. They all filed into the small grouping of chairs and surrounded us. It seemed that Alice and Emmett were every bit as enthralled with watching the band, in its entirety, away from the stage as I was. It was extraordinary to watch them as they all moved together in simple elegance to the music that was so loud that I winced with its volume a few times.

I didn't know the band's music well, except for a few songs that I recognized from Emmett's hunting soundtracks. But my wife? My wife knew every lyric, every tempo change and every movement of the song. As did the rest of the band. I learned before the first song was over that I could not lean myself against her back as I wished without not only being blinded by the wall of hair that flew around me but also without crowding her as she danced and wiggled her way through each song. And quite honestly, the view I had was spectacular. Her ass would peek out from under the skirt ever few seconds as she danced and her tattoo was visible every time I looked at her.

The fourth song into the show, I recognized from Emmett's constant playing. "Master of Puppets" was fast and furious in places and slow and melodic in others. I realized as I caught Alice's eye that I was nodding my head in time with the music while my wife attempted to give herself whiplash as she thrashed her head from side to side. It was also during the slower interlude of the song that the lead singer caught sight of EverClear on the side of the stage. He smiled and pointed up to them and they in turn screamed loudly enough to actually hurt their vocal chords, had they not been so loosened from the alcohol earlier in the evening. When the song came to a close, the lead singer, James as I pulled from Dimitri's head, addressed the audience.

"We have some special guest in the house tonight, old friends if you will," he called to the audience of thirty thousand. "Number one on the fucking charts, EverClear is in the house!" he screamed. The audience went crazy. The response was deafening as a spotlight lit up the area that we all stood in. I watched as the blush crept up her cheeks as she waived to the audience before tucking her head bashfully into her shoulder and I was quietly relieved that she at least still had the jacket on. I wasn't quite ready to share that much with such a huge crowd

"Now, I know they like it old school," the man continued on the stage, "so why don't we give it to 'em! Bella, darlin', you gonna show them how to do it?"

Jasper roared with laughter on my right as Bella nodded her head up and down dramatically. The lights on the stage changed and another song that I recognized began to play. On the first beat, JP and Bella both screamed like maniacs and stepped up onto the lower bar of the railing. I couldn't help but wrap my arm around her waist as she rose up into the air and leaned her thighs against the top bar. The two of them were hysterical as they both played the drums in the air in front of them during the intro. But I was amazed as the song really kicked it. At first they simply nodded their heads back and forth in time with the music. But the deeper into the song they got the more they slung their heads from side to side. They didn't even have to look at each other to be in perfect harmony with their movements. The crowd seemed to be watching them for its pace and direction of the head banging. Not once during the entire song did they ever stop singing along with the band and every now and again they would look at each other and scream the lyrics into each others face.

I knew the song was almost three quarters over when Alice nudged me in the arm. I looked at her smiling face as she cut her eyes toward Jasper, who was now standing on the railing beside JP. I laughed into the tidal wave of noise as I watched my quiet stoic brother head bang beside the lanky musician.

"What have they done to my husband?" she said amusedly as we gawked at him. Directly beside him, but still standing on the ground, Emmett was every bit as involved in the show as Bella was. He was pumping his arms above his head and singing loudly.

"I think the two of them," I said as I nodded toward my wife and JP "are addictive to almost everyone that gets near them." I switched my right arm from Bella's hip to Alice's waist and pulled her against my side. I wrapped my left hand over Bella's hip bone to secure her against loosing her balance just as a new song began. She raised both hands above her head and yelled, then whipped her head around to smile at me. She was breathtaking in that second. Her eyes danced with her enjoyment and her skin glowed with the sheen of sweat that had broken out while she danced.

"Hold on to me," she said against my lips as she kissed me.

"Always," I said into her ear as I watched her wrap her fingers around the railing.

"Seriously, Edward, hold her tight," Chip screamed into my left ear. "They are both gonna go nuts during this one. And they won't stop until the song is over, so don't loosen your grip. We learned the hard way about two years ago," he laughed as I caught a fleeting image of JP loosing his grip on a similar looking railing and tumbling over, taking a very stunned looking Bella with him.

This song I knew and liked. "Enter Sandman." I had just looked down at Alice again, hoping to see if she had any visions in her head that I needed to be aware of when Bella's body jerked forward slightly. I jerked my head toward her to see that she had not fallen but had started to whip her head around in circles as the electric guitar and drums kicked in. With every snap of her head, her body pulled forward a little and then pushed back as her head completed its circuit, creating an incredible friction between us.

As the song's rhythm picked up she slung her mane from side to side. It occurred to me that she would be really sore tomorrow until I remembered that until two weeks ago she did this every night she performed. She and JP again sang every line of the song as they danced side by side, just as Alice and I did directly behind them.

It was amazing how lost in the music everyone around us was. It was the same as the first night I'd seen her. Notes and chords and lyrics consumed them all. It was taking it all in when I noticed she was pushing the jacket backwards from her shoulder. Like lightening, Chip's hand shot out and caught the leather before it could hit the floor. I looked down at her long body and the perfect curve of her waist. I stepped forward and pressed myself against her as the bridge of the song began. She flipped her hair backwards and it fell over my shoulder and down my back. She leaned against me and reached behind her to grasp the back of my head.

I was leaning in to kiss her neck when I noticed the lead singer climbing the stage toward us, a microphone tucked under his arm. He smiled at Bella warmly and I felt her shake just a little as he approached. He stopped less than two feet away from her and offered the mic to her wordlessly. She reached out for it with no hesitancy and brought it to her mouth

I knew this song well enough to know what was coming. The spoken verses were recorded with the deep booming voice of the singer and a child saying a prayer. I looked wide-eyed at Alice and Jasper, who were both watching with huge grins on their faces as the crowd below roared with appreciation.

**Now I lay me down to sleep**

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

**If I die before I wake**

I pray the Lord my soul to take

The gravely voice of the man in front of her mixed with her innocent and intentionally child-like voice worked the crowd into a frenzy. She smiled brilliantly at him as she tossed the mic back to him and he walked back down toward the stage. Jasper and Emmett laughed loudly enough to draw the attention of most of the people in the seats nearest to us.

"Baby," I said with my mouth placed by her ear as she leaned against my chest, "that was…fucking creepy. Please don't do that again."

She looked over her shoulder at me and laughed before she nodded her head. We stayed mostly wrapped around each other for the next several songs. She continued to sway back and forth with the music and whip her head around in dizzying circles, but she never pulled away from me. I relished the constant contact with her and found that it was easy to loose myself in power of the music and the warmth of her body. Occasionally, it would cross my mind that she was moving entirely too much given that she'd been in the hospital less than a week ago but seeing her so happy and carefree was much too pleasurable to scold her. So I simply made sure to pay close attention to the movements of the muscles in her stomach and the steady heartbeat that I could hear even above the noise.

An hour into the show, the lead singer once again directed the attention of the crowd to Bella and EverClear.

"About two and a half years ago, we met these young punks from Seattle after a show in Denver. We had the unfortunate luck to be staying on the same floor of our hotel as the dreadlocked freak that you guys know as JP."

The spotlight once again shone on our group and JP beamed an incredibly bashful grim to the men on the stage. It was apparent, even without hearing his thoughts that he looked up to these musicians. In the hospital, when they had sent their voodoo goodie basket to my wife, Chip had told me that Metallica had sort of taken the band under their wings upon their first meeting. The older seasoned musicians had recognized the talent and passion of JP and Bella in particular and made it a point to guide them through the ins and outs of the music business over the next couple of years. It was evident as I looked at JP that he held them in very high regard. He seemed to look at them as if they were the eclectic older uncles whose approval mattered.

"They were a strange collection of talented ambitious musicians even then. And they were fronted by a tiny quiet little girl with a voice that would move mountains," the long haired man continued from the stage as he looked up into the faces of the people surrounding me. "We sat down on our third night together and wrote this next one. The lyrics came directly from the mind of that same young girl and the guitar line is the brainchild of the same dreadlocked freak. If you like it and I know you do, let them hear it."

As the spotlight faded from us, I noticed that Bella had stiffened at the opening notes of the song. She looked anxious, almost frightened of something as she looked to my right at Alice.

"Love, what is it? What's the matter?" I asked gently, hoping to figure out what could have altered her mood so suddenly. She looked into my eyes pleadingly for just a moment before she stepped out of my arms and faced Alice.

"Alice? I should have told you this earlier, but I didn't think of it. I'm sorry," she said as quietly as possible given the venue we were in.

"Tell me what Bella?"

In a very uncommon situation, Alice didn't seem to have any idea what Bella was talking about. Her golden eyes were soft as she waited for the explanation that Bella seemed to be struggling to give her.

"It's about you. This song," she almost whispered as she looked down at her fingers as she picked at the edge of her cast. "I wrote this about you. I'm sorry. When I did it, I just missed you so much and I didn't think I would ever get to see you again. But I shouldn't have."

"You wrote a song about me?" my sister asked with genuine love written all over her face. Bell didn't respond except to nod her head in the affirmative.

Rather than answer her, Alice smiled more widely than I could ever remember seeing her in the fifty plus years that I'd known her. She threw her arms around Bella and they hugged each other tightly, swaying back and forth ever so slightly.

"I just hated the thought of you in that awful place alone. I wanted to help you escape so badly, even though I know it's stupid.

"Sister, I think this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me," Alice told her as the melody of the song began. I heard the curiosity of Alice's thoughts as she pondered what she could possibly mean by "escape" but the thanks and love were pure. She was truly touched by the gesture, even if she didn't fully understand it. Bella smiled with relief as she wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulder and the two of them faced the stage.

The song began much slower than any of the previous songs had. The guitar had a solemn haunting quality to it. I had never heard this one before but just like with all her songs, you could feel the emotions before the lyrics ever began. This was not an aggressive driving rhythm. There was pain and desolation with a hint of rebellion mixed into the song and I couldn't imagine what this could have to do with Alice or what Bella had meant by "escape" as she'd tried to explain the reasoning behind the song.

Until the lyrics began.

The raw power of the simple words not only floored me but also Alice. She stood perfectly still, her arm wrapped tightly around Bella's waist as she took in the pained words that her best friend and now sister had written about her so long ago.

Welcome to where time stands still

**No one leaves and no one will**

**Moon is full, never seems to change**

**Just labeled mentally deranged**

Alice brought her hand to her mouth as understanding of the subject sank in. Her thoughts were a jumble of the battering images that had flooded her the night of Sebastian's attack and unadulterated love for my wife. How Bella evoked the reactions with her songs that she did, I would never understand. She had no knowledge of the wealth of information surrounding Alice's human life that had settled in that night, even now. But she had managed to write a song that was brutally poignant about my favorite sister's human life and her ache for escape based on nothing but her brief conversation with James while she lay broken and bleeding. Alice and I both gazed at the beautiful creature that hadn't written a song about her own pain of that night but a wish of a better past for her friend.

Alice's thoughts mirrored my own at the realization of the song's meaning. Not only were we both overcome with love for this amazing person but we were both also amazed at the absolute selfless compassion that seemed to radiate from her every cell.

Bella didn't seem to be able to hold her head still as she silently sang the words with the song. She rocked her body forward as the lyrics continued to paint a picture of dark gray hopelessness. The perfect backdrop to the bleak imagery of the lyrics was the smooth, hollow sound of the guitar. It was almost as if the instruments were crying.

**Dream the same thing every night**

**I see our freedom in our sight**

**No locked doors, no windows barred**

**No things to make my brain seem scarred**

Jasper had apparently picked up on the flood of emotions that had swept over the three of us as we listened to the song continue, its pace steadily growing. He wrapped his arm over his wife's shoulder and squeezed her tightly against his side. Alice looked up at him thankfully but would not release Bella. It was as if the connection they'd shared so long ago had strengthened in the moment of realization. They were as intertwined in each other's hearts as Bella and I were.

With a quick kiss on the top of her head, Bella released her grip on Alice and took a small step back into me. The music was becoming frenzied and agitated. Of course, my wife being who she was couldn't resist the pounding of the beat and began to thrash her head in circles. I just held her waist tightly and shut my eyes in anticipation of the two feet of hair that would whip me across the face every few seconds. The action seemed to amuse Alice, who surrounded in the comforting arms of her husband, mimicked the action with her short spiky hair.

We all watched the remainder of the show, dancing and moving and singing. And of course, in the case of Bella and JP, head banging. When the final note stilled in the air and the lights of the arena came up, we turned to find that our escort from earlier was waiting. We all followed him through the maze of corridors and were finally led into a very large dressing room area. This was nothing like the small rooms that I'd become so fond of during EverClear's touring. The room was exceptionally organized with large seating areas peppered around the room. A huge table of food was in the very center and a stocked bar was over against one wall. This was obviously a much larger, much wealthier band but somehow I couldn't picture the members of EverClear as really being comfortable in this type of surrounding. I immediately felt guilty for my thoughts as I realized that it wasn't because they weren't talented enough to warrant this kind of success but because I had already started to disassociate Bella from the other members of the band. And it was her that I couldn't picture being comfortable in this kind of setting.

We were entertained by JP and Dimitri's half-drunken antics for a little more than fifteen minutes while we waited for the band. The bar was given a good work out by the two of them alone. I watched, very amused, as they continually handed Bella drink after drink. She protested loudly at first but after a spectacle in which JP pretended to be a begging dog at her feet, she relented and joined them.

When the band finally did make an appearance, they were freshly showered and dressed in nothing more than tee shirts and shorts. The two bands spend a full ten minutes shaking hands and hugging each other. My wife was literally passed around the room, being lifted up and hugged by the various people she had known through the years. It was strangely comforting to watch the reaction of the men to her. They all, while mentally appreciating her outfit, were protecting and brotherly toward her. These were older, more mature musicians that didn't feel the need for all the craziness that surrounded most bands and I felt a very real sense of friendship with them as I was introduced around the room.

They all talked and laughed and told stories about their times together for almost an hour. It did not escape my notice that by the time everyone was saying their goodbyes that JP had managed to pour four drinks down Bella's throat. I was curious to see if this would affect her as we walked back into the darkness and toward the waiting cars.

She was steady on her feet as she swayed seductively toward the large vehicle that would speed us toward our next destination. Very gracefully she folded herself into the open door of the waiting limousine. The last sight I had as she slid in was her long garter covered legs as they slid across the leather seat. With a small chuckle, I ducked inside the car and pushed myself across the seat beside her.

She sat very demurely as I settled into the plush leather of the seat but the wicked glint in her eyes told me that wouldn't last very long. I rarely saw that look anywhere other than the seconds that proceeded her removing a piece of her clothing.

"Baby? What are you think…?" I tried to ask as another body slid into the seat next to me. But the words died in my throat as she turned to face me and threw her leg over my lap. She straddled me quickly and brought her hands to the back of my head, tugging the hair harshly.

Her mouth crashed into mine the same moment that her hips pushed forcefully against my lap. I retained enough of my composure to sit up and shrug out of my jacket. I wrapped it around her shoulders, trying desperately to cover her completely exposed ass. As soon as the fabric fell across my knees, my hands found their way to her rear. With a groan, I palmed her and pulled her toward my chest as she slid her tongue into my mouth.

She kissed me with abandon, as if we were the only two people on the planet. There was no hint of shyness or bashfulness to her actions. Her hair fell around us as she tilted her head to the side, silently asking for my mouth on her soft overheated skin. I drug my tongue slowly up the side of her neck, following the artery that pumped the delicious scent of her blood, and traced the outline of her ear.

"Baby? Are you drunk?" I asked half amused and one hundred percent aroused.

"Yes," she panted against my neck as she nipped the hard skin.

"Oh, hell yeah!" JP laughed delightedly at her display. "Live sex show in the limo. Yeah boy!"

"No sex, just a lot of heavy petting," she purred as she ground herself into my painfully erect lap.

"Bella, are you sure you want to do this with an audience," I attempted to reason with her even as my eyes shut and I groaned with pleasure at the feel of her beneath my fingers.

"It's a short ride to the club. We won't have an audience for long," she panted into my mouth as she drove her tongue into me again. I could feel the heat of her sex seeping through my pants. The feeling was mind-numbing.

I knew that our behavior was inappropriate. I knew it and ignored it. Because when it was all said and done, I was too content to care. My wife was happy and full of vibrancy, my family was safe and surrounding us, our friends though odd in their eccentric personalities were true and supporting of us.

So I relaxed into the leather of the seat, aware of the snickers and ogling we were drawing onto ourselves and basked in the pleasure that surrounded me.

"By the way, are we going?" I asked in the raspy voice that I'd not known existed until I'd met Bella. Her lips continued their assault on my neck and ear for just a moment longer before she sat straight up and looked me in the eye. The fire that danced in her endless eyes was mixed with the humor that I adored.

"I'm taking you to a strip club Edward," she said with perfect seriousness.

I cocked my eyebrow at her, wondering if she was kidding me. She simply smiled, nodded her head "yes" and then continued her ministrations.

"Let me get this straight. My wife, who happens to be dressed like the naughtiest school girl in history and is straddling my lap, is taking me to a strip club?"

"That's right," she purred as she bit down on my earlobe.

Fucking hell, it was going to be an interesting night.

**Chapter Notes: I know, I know. I took some liberties with Metallica's music. But seriously, is there anything better than listening to them on a wide open radio on a long road trip? **

**Big changes in RL this week. Hopefully for the good. I am really hoping to get another chapter out to you guys by Sunday as a celebration. Make me purr and I'll type that much faster. **


	23. Chapter 23Naughty Girl

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**The response to the last chapter wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Longest chapter to date and the fewest reviews to date. Are you guys mad at me for something? I know you guys read it, I watched the hits come in all day. I'll give it to you, it was mostly fluff but still…I think this one will make it up to you. You know what I'm looking (begging, pleading, etc) for. I'm needing a little love.**

**Playlist:**

**Lady Marmalade-Moulin Rouge version**

**FutureSex/LoveSound-Justin Timberlake**

**Feelin' Love-Paula Cole (during the second half of the chapter)**

Chapter 23

BPOV

The ten minute ride to the club was one of the most painful of my life as well as one of the most blissful. But Edward didn't allow any time for me to stress over our compromising position, thanks to his constant barage of licks and nibbles and kisses. I knew that I should put a stop to our display, knew that if I hadn't had so much to drink I would be mortified at our lack of restraint even if I had been the one to initiate it. But the sensations of his hands gripping me roughly and his mouth against my skin drove all thoughts of propriety from my addled brain. I was also somewhat high on the idea of my Edward, usually so controlled and restrained, simply letting go of his unnatural control and living in the moment.

I could concentrate on nothing but the steady grinding of my hips against his. With every push forward, I felt the tightening in my lower back increase and the scent of my own rising need permeating the air in the cramped space. JP and Dimitri kept up a constant stream of increasingly dirty comments about our "dry humping" as they so eloquently phrased it. But I simply didn't care enough to interrupt the growing need to give him exactly what he seemed to be seeking from me. By the time the car slowed to a stop in front of a large building with crass neon lights that flooded the interior of the car, I was lost in the raging need to be with him.

"Ya'll coming or is she not quite there yet," JP snorted as he slid to the open door.

I didn't respond to him in any way except to flick my wrist in his direction, much like shooing an insect away. With a final snort, he closed the door and the car slowly pulled around the building, leaving us sheltered from the blazing red and white lights.

"Edward. Please," I panted into his neck as my hips picked up their rhythm against him. I knew he could hear the thudding of my heart and feel the heat of the flush that crept its way up my body from my thighs. I was right on the very edge of falling apart when he spoke.

"You going to cum for me, Baby?" he asked as he licked a trail from my collar bone down into the middle of my clevage. He buried his nose into the valley between my breasts and gripped my ass slightly harder. I pushed against his raging hard on with more force. "You are, aren't you."

I pulled the hair on the nape of his neck and nodded my head, words failing me as his silken voice folded over me. His voice never failed to send my heart into a fluttering gallop but the naughty words that played on repeat over and over inside my mind fueled the fire in my body higher than I thought possible. He moved his head to the left just slightly and took my hardened nipple in his mouth through my shirt and bra. At the feel of his mouth encircling me, I moaned loudly and bucked against him even harder.

"That's it, my beautiful girl. I want you to cum for me," he encouraged as I felt the muscles of my legs tighten around his thighs. The satiny texture of the stockings I wore rubbed against the outside of his legs, creating a delicious blast of cold against my overheated skin.

"Edward…I …I need…your hands," I cried out as I leaned my head forward against his shoulder.

"I don't think it's my hands you really want, now is it," he taunted me. His icy mouth continued to gently suck at my chest, even as he spoke. "I think you can cum for me just like this."

With the last word, he pulled my nipple tightly between his lips and sucked hard. The intense sensation coupled with my own steady rhythm was enough. I felt the swell of pleasure burst from lower back and my muslces locked down. I gripped the back of his neck with all my might as the waves swept over me again and again.

"Oh, Bella. That's it. I love to watch you, Baby," he purred into my ear as his grip on my ass loosened and I slowed my rocking as I tried to catch my breath. It only took a few moments for me to regain control of myself. I huffed out a final breath and opened my eyes to the most glorious sight.

Edward stared back at me, his eyes darkened with his own lust and a smug grin on his face. He slowly licked his bottom lip as his eyes roved down my body and back up very deliberately. His fingers, still gripping my butt, squeezed almost involuntarily and sent goose bumps down my spine.

"Oh, God, did I really…?" I asked as I started to pull my leg from around him. He gripped my leg gently, securing me to his lap as he chuckled darkly.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Um, sorry about that. I guess I got carried away," I said as I felt the blush move its way up my neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist quickly and pulled me against his chest.

"Do not ever apologize for that. Have you not realized that watching you cum is my all time favorite thing in the world. But, there is one thing I need to do before we go inside," he said with a devestatingly beautiful crooked smile.

"What do you need?" I asked as I felt his hands slowly inching their way down my back and over my rear. Before I could react to what he was doing, he crooked his finger into the small piece of lace that was not only wedged tightly between my cheeks but also completely soaked after my little escapade. With a single yank, the material tore free and he dangled the now ruined panties in front of him.

"These are mine," he growled playfully as he brought them to his nose and inhaled dramatically.

"Edward! I can't go inside commando," I protested half-heartedly. The truth was, I was more than a little turned on by the fact that he wanted my obviously soaked panties.

"You can and you will. I was going to beg you to leave my jacket on anyway. This just ensures that you will."

He released me from his grip and placed me softly on the seat next to him with a smirk. He inhaled one more time and then stuffed the lace into the pocket of his slacks while I gaped open mouthed at him. I could hardly believe his playfulness as we exited the car and made our way around the side of the brick building hand in hand. As soon as the neon lights illuminated the side walk in front of the club, we ran directly into Alice and Jasper.

"Another minute and we were coming to get you, whether you were finished or not," my sister teased knowingly.

"God, will it ever get less embarassing to have you see every detail of my sex life," I quipped as the four of us made our way through the doors of the club. The pounding bass of the techno music surrounded us as soon as we stepped inside the dimly lit club.

"Probably not. But no one needed a vision to know what you were doing. The car was rocking," she laughed as Jasper snorted loudly.

I noticed that Edward was oddly quiet as his eyes darted around the club. He looked tense and serious as we moved further into the belly of the nightclub.

"Relax," I tried to calm him. "It's not just a strip club."

He looked at me with gratitude in his eyes as I motioned for us to enter the double doors of the left side of the hallway. He visibly relaxed further when the doors opened to reveal a large dance club. The multi-colored tiles of the dance floor were illuminated and pulsed to the beat of the grinding music that was blasting at a deafening volume.

"When did you get so comfortable with strip clubs?" he asked as he pulled my body in front of his to make our way through the crowd. Jasper and Alice were directly in front of us and I saw Alice raise her hand high above her head and wave. I followed her motion to find JP, Dimitri, Chip and Marcus standing around a circular table. Seated in one of the chairs was Emmett with Rose perched on his lap in very much the same fashion I'd been inside the limo just a few minutes earlier.

"When we first started touring, a lot of the clubs we played were tiny rat holes that either had a strip club inside the same building or were next door one. Particularly in the South. So it was either get comfortable with them or spend every day of my life in a constant state of embarassment," I explained as I leaned back into his chest. It was ridiculous to think that he couldn't hear me, even above the din of the music, but I was still to inebriated to think that clearly.

As we joined the group waiting for us, it became evident that the alcohol consumption had continued. Lined up on the flat surface of the table were several empty shot glasses and a couple of half full beer bottles. JP in particular seemed to be plastered as he stood over the table with a sexy sneer on his face. He was moving ever so slightly to the music but he had his 'bad boy" stance in full effect. I couldn't help but laugh as Edward took a seat and pulled me into his lap.

"You are about to see JP in full pussy mode," I laughed as I leaned back against his chest. I felt rather than heard the growl in rumble through his chest. I twisted around, afraid I'd angered him with my drunken profanity, only to find the deep ebony eyes staring back at me hungrily. His hand cupped my cheek and pulled me nearer to him, so that there was less than an inch seperating our lips.

"Say it again," he said seducitvely. It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. Whether it was the intensity of his eyes, the feel of his hand on my face or the alcohol swirling through my veins I wasn't sure but I was momentarily dazed as I looked back at him.

"Pussy," I said as seductively as possible. I then darted my tongue out and licked his bottom lip slowly.

"Ungh, you are fucking killing me tonight," he groaned as he threw his head back briefly. He straightened back up and kissed me harshly. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth and immediately began to thrust in and out in long maddening strokes. I wrapped my hands around his neck and tried to meet his actions with my own tongue. But an annoyed voice behind us pulled my attention.

"Jesus, will you two give it a rest. Why did you even bother to leave the hotel if all you're going to do is paw at each other," Chip spat as we pulled away from each other panting. "No one wants to see a live porn show at the moment."

"I do," JP laughed as he sat down in the chair to Edward's right. He continued to smirk at the two of us even as he motioned a waitress toward the table. She leaned down into him as he whispered his order in her ear and then cut his eyes toward me.

"Whatever you just did, I am out. I think I've had enough alcohol for one night," I said as sternly as possible.

"Just one drink. One more with me tonight and I'll leave you alone. Scouts honor," he said with a mocked innocent expression as he held up three fingers in salute.

"You were never a scout, JP," I quipped as I looked at my buddy. He was in his cocky skirt-chasing mode. Over the last several years, I'd come to learn that this was a side of his personality, that while funny to watch, could get slightly obnoxious to be around. With a defeated sigh, I looked at Edward quickly before answering him.

"One. And then you go chase the kitty. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

He waved his hand high in the air, motioning the bartender toward him. I looked over my shoulder to see the blonde moving toward us with a tray filled with different colored shots. I closed my eyes, trying to prepare myself for whatever torture my bass player had in mind when I felt Edward shake underneath me.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked as I took in his glorious smile. He was belly laughing at something. He looked to JP quickly before he cut his eyes to me. I couldn't help but smile at the happiness that graced his face.

"Oh, my dearest Bella. I've known JP for a couple of months and even I knew that was much too easy. You should know better after several years to leave anything that wide open with him," he laughed. He kissed me on the nose before he continued. "You're either going to really like this or you're about to turn the color of a tomato."

The waitress set the tray of drinks down on the table at that precise moment. JP quickly reached for two of the shot glasses and then leered evilly at me. He took my hand and pulled me out of Edward's lap and into a standing position.

"Ok, one drink and then I disappear into the land of T& A. But you didn't say I couldn't pick the drink." To my astonishment, he passed the glass to Edward's outstretched hand.

"Oh my God!" Alice squealed as her eyes clouded over. She began to laugh even as her amber eyes regained their clarity. "Jaz, this is really going to make you wish you were human."

"Edward, if you will please," JP said in his most serious tone. I watched astonished as Edward lifted the drink to his nose. He sniffed once and then turned away with a pinched look on his face. After just a moment's recovery, he scooted his chair back a few inches and spread his legs widely. The sight was almost too much to bear. The sexy smirk combined with the provocative position and the tightly cut trousers made my heart thunder in my chest.

"Marcus, you too," JP wailed as he handed an identical drink to him.

"What in the hell, JP?" I asked as I stared confusedly at him.

"Baby, ask JP what the name of the drink he ordered you is please," Edward said through barely contained laughter. I turned to look at my friend and immediately became frightened of the look on his face.

"Well?"

"It's a Blowjob, my little virgin-no-more."

If the name of the drink hadn't shocked me into stillness, my husband's actions did. With an almost identical smirk on his face, Edward lowered the drink and set right between his legs. Flush with his crotch. Which was still very much awake from our time in the car.

"Edward Cullen! You are as bad as JP," Alice giggled as she watched him fold his hands behind his head in a much too relaxed stance.

It occurred to me that I had a choice in this situation. I could either blush profusely and stammer my way through an explanation as to why I didn't want to do this particular shot. The looks on the faces of my family suggested that this reaction was exactly what they were expecting. Or, I could have a little fun with the scenario before me. And the expression on Edward's face told me that he was doing exactly that.

"Umm, my favorite," I purred as I squatted down between his legs. The shocked look on his face was quickly replaced by that smoldering heat in his eyes that I adored. I reached out for his hand and he willingly gave it to me. Never breaking eye contact, I moved his hand to the back of my head and then licked my lips.

"Jesus, Edward," someone catcalled from behind me.

Very dramatically, I placed both my hands on his knees. I leaned forward and skimmed the inside of his right leg with my nose. I repeated the action on his left leg before I moved to the very center of his lap. I traced the outline of his very prominent "problem" with my nose slowly as I looked up into his eyes.

His lips were parted and I could tell he was breathing heavily. I opened my mouth as wide as possible before I lowered my head into his lap and placed my lips around the rim of the shot glass. Once I was sure I had it secured in my mouth, I threw my head back quickly and swallowed the horrible liquid inside. I reached up and removed the glass from my mouth and then looked my now panting husband directly in the eye. I used the very tip of my finger to wipe the corner of my mouth suggestively before I stood back up and faced the now cheering crowd that surrounded us.

"Gotta love a girl that swallows it all," JP roared as he clapped his hands loudly. I laughed as I watched Chip repeat my display in Marcus' lap, only with less dramatic results from his partner. I felt two cold hands surround my waist a second before I was pulled back into the comfort of his lap.

"Tease," he whispered as he sucked my earlobe into his ear before kissing it softly. "Such a bad girl."

"Oh, I'm no tease, Mr. Cullen. I have every intention of fulfilling my promise tonight."

He smiled blindingly at me as he leaned forward and kissed me. I smiled into the kiss, thrilled to see him so relaxed and enjoying himself. His entire demeanor was so different from the Edward I'd known so long ago. He was living in the moment, enjoying himself like I'd not known he was capable of . I knew that my protector and gaurdian wasn't far below the surface but I was struck by how much he'd changed.

"I love you," I whispered sincerely to his as I opened my eyes from his kiss.

"I love you too, baby. Always."

"Bella! I think I need to dance," Marcus yelled across the table as he fanned himself. Chip looked highly pleased with himself as he sat down in the chair next to his partner and lovingly grasped his hand. "Care to join me for old time's sake?"

I looked at Edward who nodded his approval of the suggestion. One more kiss and I rose from the chair toward the outstretched hand of my dance partner.

"Oh, me too," Alice squealed as she grabbed Rosalie's hand and yanked her out of Emmett's lap.

We made our way onto the crowded dance floor and found a spot in the dead center of the room. Marcus and I had danced together for years, both in the confines of various hotel rooms or in public. So it was very natural for me to drape myself around him and get lost in the music. I looked up into the face of one of my dearest friends and smiled. He was incredibly handsome with his chiseled features and deep olive skin. His dark hair fell in curtains around his face, highlighting the dark eyes that I'd never seem express anything other than love or compassion.

The four of us danced with abandon. Marcus and I were aided by the alcohol that coursed though our systems while Alice and Rose needed nothing more than their own natural sensuality to become immersed in the pounding beat of the music. Occasionally, one of my sisters would slide themselves against either Marcus or me and we would all break loose in hysterical laughter. It became almost a game to see who could out grind each other, every song bringing with it more and more provocative movements from us all. Hands and hips and asses all slid seductively against each other with reckless eroticism.

And every time my gaze wandered away from my dance partners to my gorgeous husband, I found his eyes staring intently at me. He always seemed engaged in the conversation around him, always seemed relaxed but his eyes were trained on me. I also noticed that he had his hand in his pocket and I could just barely make out the movement of his fingers from within the confines of the material. With a gasp, I realized what he was doing. His fingers were clutched around the lace he'd ripped from my body seconds before we'd exited the car on the side of the building and he was rubbing the material between his smooth fingers. The feelings that his attention and his naughty actions spurned in me were incredible. And highly arousing.

After nearly an hour on the dance floor, the DJ broke in as the last song came to a close and the patrons all turned toward the tiny booth set high above the dance floor.

"Ladies and Gentleman, let the games begin. Karyoke begins in two minutes," the deep tenored voice announced to a very responsive crowd.

"Oh, God!" Alice squealed. "We so have to do this." Her enthusiasm was contagious as her eyes cut from me to Rose and then to Marcus.

"I don't know," I started to protest. But I was instantly cut off.

"I swear, if you say 'no' I will beat your little ass Bella Cullen. If anyone should be willing to get up there it's you. Jesus, you do this for a living," Rose hissed good naturedly.

I thought for just a second. She was right. I wasn't the shy wall flower I'd been once upon a time ago. And if there was ever a group of people to let myself go with, this was it. I was slightly nervous of the fact that I had not sung a note in almost two weeks but I was having such a wonderful time with them, that I dismissed the thought as quickly as it had formed.

"Okay, fine. But nothing outlandish," I begged as Alice grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the small stage at the front of the room.

We didn't have to wait long for our chance to entertain the drunken crowd. After only four groups of people attempted to wail their songs out, we were up. As Alice and Rose quickly looked over the notebook of song selections, I sought out Edward once again. He cocked his eyebrow at me before he smiled lovingly. He nodded his head and then turned and smacked Emmett and Jasper on the chest with the back of his hand. The three of them grinned their signature panty dropping smiles at us as I felt my hand being tugged on.

I stepped onto the small stage and looked down at the song choice.

"Alice, you've got to be kidding. 'Lady Marmalade'?" I said as Marcus looked over my shoulder and then roared with laughter.

"No, I'm not. I'll go first, then Rose. Marcus, how do you feel about doing the rap in the middle?" she said so quickly that I nearly missed half of what she said. He laughed again before giving in to her bizarre request.

As the lyrics appeared on the small screen to our left, I felt the familiar rush of adreneline course through me. I didn't need the lyric sheet for the song Alice had chosen but I looked down at the rapidly disappearing words on the screen.

I watched as Alice stepped forward and began to gyrate around on the stage, much to the pleasure of the crowd below. Her voice was pitch perfect and beautiful as she sang the song. I looked out into the crowd to see Jasper on his feet clapping the entire time his tiny wife performed and smiled into the old microphone in my hand. When the first chorus arrived, all four of us sang together and even I had to admit, we had a great harmony going.

The crowd below us and around the room responded to the performance enthusiastically. They clapped and cheered and I could make out some of the bodies below us actually dancing to the song. I couldn't help the laugh that broke free as I watched the exuberant response to us.

Rose was next up to bat next and she did not disappoint the crowd. Always so ridiculously perfect, her voice was exactly the same. Strong and powerful while still sensual. The men that stood at the base of the small stage seemed entranced with her as she arched her back into the last note before the chorus began. The roar of the crowd grew even louder, though whether it was in response to her voice or perfect body sauntering across the stage, I had no idea.

Marcus put on a spectacle with his rap. He twisted and posed his way through every line and every word. If it had not been apparent to everyone in the room that he was flamingly gay before he took the stage, and truly most people seemed genuinely shocked when they found out, then it was more than obvious by the time he finished.

And then I was up.

I lifted the mic to my mouth and let loose the first note. I scanned the room and found Edward. He was focused on nothing but me as I stood on the stage. He dramatically placed his hand on his chest as I sang the next note and beamed at me. The room around us disappeared. The crowd and the lights and even my sisters on the stage evaporated. And I sang for him alone. With each line I grew more confident in my own ability and more secure in his excitement.

Bella the performer was out and putting on a show for no one but the incredible man that had given me his name and his life. I swayed as seductively as possible as I finished the verse with a long note. I was thrilled to hear that there was no hesitation in my voice, no stutter or rasp from lack of use. As I joined the other three to finish the song, I saw Edward put his fingers in his mouth and whistle loudly.

We finished the song in a hailstorm of hugs and laughs. We were slowly making our way off the stage, still giggling over our performance when I walked directly into something very hard. Steely arms encircled me and pulled me against a rock hard chest that was swimming in the unmistakable scent of Edward.

"Hi there," I breathed out as I looked into his glowing face.

"Hi. You sounded incredible up there," he said as our bodies gently swayed to the renewed music that blasted through the speakers on all sides of us.

"Thank you. Its good to know my voice isn't shot," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him lead us back into the crowd on the dance floor.

"I missed you. Dance with me?" he asked even as he wove his way through the mass of bodies.

I simply nodded my agreement to his request. I'd never danced with Edward to anything but slow songs. Even years ago, at the prom, we'd restricted our dancing to the slowest of the melodies that played that night. The song playing tonight, however, was anything but slow. It was pulsing, erotic and vibrant. He pressed my closely to his body and tilted his hips into mine as he slipped his right leg between mine.

I closed my eyes and gave in to the overwhelming sensation of the feeling of him moving against me. We were grinding up against each other shamelessly all while his hands roamed from my shoulders to my thighs. I was acutely aware that I was wearing next to nothing but simply couldn't be bothered to worry about it as he moved against me so magnificently.

Half way through the song, I felt his fingertips slide down my legs and trace the thin straps of the garters on the back of my legs. In a very quick move, he hitched my right leg up and over his hip, much like he'd done before we'd left the hotel for the evening. The movement closed any remaining distance between our bodies and I moaned at the feel of him pressed so close to my bare core.

"Edward," I gasped into his neck as he continued to grind against me.

"Just feel me Bella. Do you feel what you do to me?"

His voice was honey and warmth and love and unbridled desire as he whispered in my ear over the pounding of the music. I felt his mouth against my neck as he kissed his way toward my collarbone, his shoulders rounding over rather than release me from his grip.

"I want you," he growled as his tongued traced the sharp indention at my collarbone. "Right now. I'm not sure I can wait until we leave."

The song came to a close as I tried to steady my breathing. His words and his movements combined had reignited the passion for him that had blazed in the car. Well, really that always blazed when he was near me.

My leg still hiked on his hip, I leaned back to look into what I knew would be pitch black eyes. I wasn't disappointed.

"Edward, come with me."

"Where to?" he asked as he leaned forward and teasingly traced my bottom lip with his tongue.

"I think its time you saw the other side of the club."

EPOV

Of all the possible reactions I was expecting from her, taking my hand and leading me to the door that contained the exotic dancers was at the very bottom of the list. I knew that she was every bit as worked up as I was, so I was stunned at her reaction. I'd spent the better part of the night watching her, first as she danced and then as she sang. The sight of her on the stage singing the suggestive lyrics is what had done me in. I couldn't wait to feel her in my arms as I listened to that perfect voice carry across the large room. Even as our sisters pulled her into their arms hugging and laughing, I stood at the edge of the stage waiting for her.

And then we danced. It was not the innocent but loving dance of our younger days, nor was it the sensual needful dancing of Atlanta. The song had lent itself perfectly to the burning need in my groin as we rubbed unashamed against each other. I knew, from the flush on her skin alone, that she was every bit as turned on as I was. I had fully expected her to grab my hand and allow me to lead us off to a somewhat secluded area where we could give in to our basest instincts and consume each other.

So if I was being honest, I was somewhat annoyed when she pulled me through the doors and into the other side of the establishment. It was fairly typical in its set up. Several long runways spanned the room, all illuminated with overhead lighting and metal poles interspersed along their length. Along the side of each runway, tables and chairs were interspersed with couches to provide for "conversation" areas. The music in this side of the club was not as loud as on the other side, probably to aid in the negotiation of the various services offered.

The thoughts of the patrons though, were much more raunchy than on the dance floor. While sex was the over-ridding thought in everyone's mind on the other side of the bar, in here the thoughts were much more clearly defined fantasies. It did not escape my notice that as Bella pulled me into the room, several of the patrons immediately replaced the fantasy girl is their heads from the stripper in front of them to my wife. And she still had my coat on. God help me if she's walked in here wearing her decadent outfit alone.

I was unsuprised to find JP, Dimitri and Felix sitting around a small table near the back of the club nearest to the shortest platform in the room. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that there were several girls vying for the attention of the musicians and the guys were loving every minute of it. I also noticed that JP seemed only to be interested in watching girls that held no resemblence to Heidi whatsoever. He pointedly turned his head any time one of the brunettes would try to catch his eye.

With no word or pretense, Bella sat down in a chair beside Dimitri and motioned for me to join her. The smells in the room were nearly overwhelming in their intensity. Most prominent was the alcohol and sweat but the unmistakable scent of human arousal, both male and female, permeated the air. The scantily clad women in front of us seemed to be drawn to Bella as she sat demurely in the chair next to me, a fact that the guys in her band seemed to find great amusement in.

"Have you ever been into one of these," she asked me quietly. Her eyes were still wide with her own arousal as she looked at me, ignoring the advances of the dancers in front of us. Just as I did.

I nodded my head. "I've been to several bachelor parties for Emmett that either started or ended in clubs like this, but its not really my thing," I answered her honestly. I made a concerted effort to watch her or the ground in front of me. I had no desire to look upon any other woman when I was sitting next to the most beautiful woman known to man. There was nothing that the gyrating forms in front of me could offer that would hold any appeal over the stunning creature that was my wife.

She smiled sweetly as she watched me ignore the women around us. She reached out and took my hand as she slid into my lap. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her into my chest. I felt her hand slide across my leg and disappear into my pocket. Her tiny fingers fumbled for just a second before she pulled her hand out, bringing with her a roll of bills.

She counted out a couple before she replaced the money in my pocket. I wanted to ask her what in the hell she was doing but before I could open my mouth, she rose from her seat and made her way to the edge of the stage in front of us. I watched dumbfounded as she motioned to a very tall surgically enhanced blond that wore little more than dental floss. She leaned forward and Bella tilted her head inward toward her ear. The raging music and swarming thought of the patrons in the room drown out most of the conversation but I did manage to hear the words "lap dance" and " back room."

Bella handed the money to the blonde who looked at me and smiled widely. She tucked the bills into a garter on her thigh and turned to leave the stage just as Bella made her way back to me.

"Come with me," she said as she extended her hand toward me.

"Bella, please don't make me…"

"Edward, come with me," she interrupted my protests. I ran my fingers nervously through my hair before I took her hand and let her pull me from my chair.

"Holy shit! Bitch bought him a lap dance," JP cackled to Dimtri as I followed her through the maze of tables toward an inconspicuous black door at the rear of the room. When we reached the door, she reached for the handle to the door but I caught her cast between my fingers before she could grip the metal.

"Bella, I really don't want to do this. Please don't ask me to," I begged her as I tried my damnedest to dazzle her.

Her eyelids fluttered once and then hardened into her iron willed resolve. I knew, even before she spoke that the battle was lost. She was going to send me in there, for some ungodly reason.

"Edward, trust me. Would I ever make you do something unpleasant?"

"No, not unpleasant. But Baby…"

"Please, just go in the room and sit down. I promise it won't be as bad as you think." With a quick kiss, she opened the door and nudged me forward into the pitch blackness. I turned to look at her pleadingly but she shut the door before I could find her eyes.

There were a plethora of smells in the room but none were fresh and there were no humans in the room with me. With an overly dramatic sigh, I made my way to the hard leather couch at the back of the room. There was a large circular ottoman directly in front of the seats that I stared ominously at before I slouched into the sofa.

I could not for the life of me understand why she wanted me to do this. I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I desired no one other than her. It simply didn't make sense to me why she wanted to unleash a stripper on me. I covered my eyes and willed myself to breath slower, hoping that I could find the words to explain to whoever came through the door that their services were neither desired nor required without sounding like a complete asshole.

I had just sat up a little straighter on the hard backed seat when the music began to pulse through the tiny room. The beat was slow and sultry. It left nothing to the imagination as to what the subject of the song was. The door opened with a small ray of light flooding the room briefly before it closed again. A small form moved into the room with me and I felt every muscle in my body tense.

Until I took a deep breath.

The small body moving toward me was Bella. She didn't say a word as she walked slowly toward me. My coat still hung on her shoulders, just grazing her thighs and her hair bounced with each step she took toward me.

"Mr. Cullen, has anyone explained the rules of the house to you?" she said in that same deep tone of voice that sent my body into overdrive every time I heard it.

I mutely shook my head no as the situation settled in around me. Holy God. Bella hadn't paid for someone else to dance for me. She had paid for the room so that **she** could dance for me.

"Well, I am allowed to touch you any way I'd like. But you are not allowed to touch me unless I give you permission," she said as she stepped up onto the ottoman in front of me. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," I rasped as her hands moved to the lapel of the jacket. Very slowly she began to sway her hips back and forth as she opened the jacket, revealing once again the ridiculously erotic outfit beneath.

The material hit the ground with a light thump as she moved more aggressively in front of me. Her hands roamed over every inch of her exposed body as she swayed in perfect rhythm with the music. I felt myself grow impossibly harder as I watched her move and had to shift in my seat to alleviate the burn.

Slowly, she brought her hands to the knot in the center of her chest and pulled the cloth free, exposing the full glory of the black lace that had peeked out of her top all night. I couldn't have supressed the groan that ripped from my chest even if I'd wanted to. She smiled at my response before turning her back to me, all the while her body continued to move in the most erotic patterns.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she looked at me from underneath her eyelashes as she brought her hand to the middle of her back and unfastened the clasp of her bra. Dear Lord, she was undoubtedly the sexiest thing I'd ever seen as she arched her back, teasing me with a glimpse of the ass that had taunted me all night. Without turning around, she grasped the edge of the garmet in her hand and raised it high above her head before dropping it.

Then she turned to face me, her hair pulled back over her chest, hiding her perfect breasts from me. She slowly skimmed her fingers over her stomach and down her skirt to the very edge of the garters and I nearly lost it as the first wave of her arousal permeated the air.

"Hold out your hand," she whispered from her perch and I readily complied. She placed her hand in mine delicately and then stepped from the ottoman onto the couch, her feet on either side of my legs as she stood above me.

"Jesus, Bella," I moaned pitifully as she towered over me topless, pantyless and still swaying temptingly. She held her other hand out to me and laced our fingers together as she slowly bent her knees and lowered herself into my lap.

With a devilish smirk, she guided my hands to the back of the couch and then slowly traced her fingers back up my arms and over my shoulders. The sensual beat of the song continued to fill the air and her hips began to grind against my lap in perfect time. She rose up on her knees and pressed her chest against me, slowly sliding up until her nipple was level with my mouth.

"Open your mouth."

I complied wontonly. With painful slowness she moved her chest so that her hardened peak traced the outline of my lip. I wasn't even conscious of the decision but my tongue slipped from my mouth seeking even the smallest connection. She barely allowed any contact but the taste of her skin drove me insane. I absolutely ached to touch her but she continued her teasing as she allowed me the barest access to the other nipple.

My hands twitched in their position on the edge of the couch and I had to muster every ounce of control not to grab her. She obviously saw the struggle because she chuckled under her breath as she pushed her self back up, allowing my lips to drag a light trail against the skin of her stomach.

She straightened her legs as she rose to her feet again and I realized that her bare slit was less than two inches away from my mouth. Venom flooded my mouth as the maddening scent invaded me. Very slowly she rocked her hips forward and back in time with the sultry music, all the while her fingers fluttered over her chest, teasing and pulling.

"Bella, please," I begged with no shame. I needed her. Now. I wasn't sure how much longer I could contain the burning fire that was growing steadily more out of control within my own body.

"Tell me what you want," she whispered as her hands left her own skin and stoked through my hair. Each pass of her fingernails sent shudders of pleasure coursing through me as I inhaled deeply, taking in the glorious scent of the wetness that I could see making its way down her inner thigh.

"I want you in my mouth," I grunted as she moaned at my words. Her grip in my hair tightened and I knew that she was on the verge of giving me what I needed so desperately.

"Take what you want baby," she breathed out in a pant.

I didn't hesitate for even split second. I grabbed her hips and pulled her toward me as I slid down into the cushion so that my head rested against the very edge. I pulled her into my mouth with enough speed to force her knees to bend, so that she literally sat on me. I plunged my tongue into her sopping entrance with absolute abandon. I wanted, needed every drop of the insanely decadent nectar that she had to offer. Over and over, I pushed my tongue into her and each time her moans grew louder.

She clawed at my scalp and neck as her body began to shake violently but I would not relent. I wanted her to come harder than ever before and I was determined to draw every single ounce of pleasure that her body had to offer. I moaned into her slick folds as I swallowed everything she offered me, drinking it down like a man dying of thirst. The vibrations of my own sounds made her cry out and I realized she was literally screaming my name.

The walls of her sweet sex began to tighten around me and doubled my efforts. I ate her out completely as she writhed and shuddered above me. I couldn't get enough of her. And when I finally felt the muscles in her back and legs lock down, I could have shouted my exuberance to the world had I not had myself buried in her perfect folds.

I held her body tightly as she rode out the waves of her orgasm, her hips bucking deliciously against me with every pass until she finally began to still. I softened my movements against her as she relaxed but I couldn't force myself to pull away from her.

More quickly than I could comprehend, she pulled herself away from me and slid off of the couch. The look in her eyes was pure lust as she took a few small steps back and sat gracefully on the large round ottoman behind her. With a laugh, she spun herself around and then lay flat on her back with her head hanging over the edge.

"On your knees," she commanded. Without fully comprehending what she had in mind, I slid to my knees in front of her. It was only when she reached for my belt buckle that it dawned on me what her position on the smooth surface was meant for.

"Oh, fuck me," I groaned, half amazed and half pleading, as I gripped the edges of the fabric. She released me from my pants and pushed my boxers over my hips until they pooled at my knees. With a small chuckle she took the very tip of my hardened length into her mouth. "Ungh…Bel…oh, shit," I gasped as her hands gripped my own backside and pulled me farther into her hot mouth.

It took only seconds for me to be sheathed to the very base of my cock inside her mouth. The angle her head was tilted at as she lay over the edge of the ottoman opened her throat completely. Her hands lightly pushed and pulled against me, forcing me to thrust into her mouth. With each pass, I slipped all the way down her throat. I was incoherent with the sensations of her lips wrapped around me and her teeth grazing the skin of my shaft each time I pulled out.

I leaned forward and rested my head against her stomach as my hips sought the rhythm she demanded of me. I could feel my body shaking with the need to be closer, to thrust harder…anything. My own breathing was labored and harsh as she took me as deeply as possible down her throat again and again.

"Bella…ungh…oh, fuck…" I stammered as she moaned her approval of complete lack of control. I pressed my nose into the hard muscles of her stomach as I felt the familiar tightening in my lower back. I couldn't hold our much longer. "I'm…Bella…I'm going to cum."

"Mmhmm," she hummed as she pushed me forcefully into her mouth in three rapid movements and then held my hips against her face. The action combined with the vibrations of her sounds and the pungent aroma of her own desire sent me into blissful abandon. With a loud growl, I released my seed down her throat in five powerful burst. I felt her swallowing against me and incredibly, it triggered another orgasm of my own.

I held myself above her quaking and shuddering through the most powerful orgasm I'd ever known. Very slowly, she eased my hips back away from her. With each inch that she pulled from her mouth, her soft tongue swiped lovingly in nonsensical circles. The gesture was endearing and erotic at the same time and my eyes clenched as I felt myself growing hard again, even as my tip fell from the heat of her mouth.

I pushed my arms underneath her body and cradled her in my arms as I turned us back toward the couch. With an urgency that surprised me, she pulled my mouth to her and kissed me recklessly. The combined flavor of her taste on my tongue mixed with my own essence ignited the fire in my cock once again.

I laid her out on the couch and crawled over her body, my own pants still tangled around my ankles. As I positioned myself at her entrance, I grasped the back of her right knee for the third time that night and hitched it over my hip. The silken nylons that covered her leg rubbed against my skin and sent a tingling sensation down to my feet. I entered her quickly and had to still myself against the overwhelming need to plunge into her at break-neck speed.

Her mouth continued to press against my own as we met each other thrust for thrust. She lifted her hips in precision time with every move I made forward. Our tongues danced and taunted each other as we sped our pace. Again and again, I plowed into the molten heat of her core and was rewarded with the feel of her walls clenching around me.

"Edward!" she screamed into the swirling air of the room. "Never…enough," she gasped into my neck as her arms pulled me closer to her. I pushed into her hard enough to move our bodies back along the couch until we hit the curve of the long seat.

"Baby, I love you," I whispered into her ear as I felt her walls clench harshly around me, drawing me deeper into her. I was powerless to stop my own eruption, even though I wanted to prolong the moment. I knew exactly what she meant. I would never, in a hundred lifetimes, get enough of her.

As our bodies stilled and relaxed into each other, she looked at me with the softest expression. The fire of just minutes ago no longer raged in her gaze but instead smoldered beneath the surface underneath the love. Very delicately, she leaned forward and kissed me. "I love you too," she said quietly against my lips.

After just a few more minutes of lying wrapped up in each other, we reluctantly extricated ourselves from the peaceful confines of each other's bodies. We lazily redressed, while smiling knowingly at each other. When the last of the garments were back in place and we had cleaned up as much as possible given our limited resources, I took her hand in mine and we made our way back out into the main expanse of the club.

As we passed the guys from the band, all of which had teasing smirks on their faces, I felt the beginnings of her blush shimmy down her arm. I tucked her into my side and gave them my smuggest expression as we moved toward the exit.

"Edward! Wait up," JP called from behind us just as I reached for the door. We tuned to face him and I realized he carried something in his hand as he staggered his way toward us. His thoughts were amusingly scrambled, no doubt from the large amount of alcohol he'd consumed.

"Do you know what this is, Eddie my boy?" he snorted as he took in our disheveled appearance. Without waiting for a response, he answered his own question. "Security tape. Did you know that they always keep a camera in the private rooms so that they can monitor the dancers' safety?"

The blood drained from Bella's face in an instant and had it been possible, I'm sure my own reaction would have been identical. She stared hard at the small black cassette in his hand as if he was holding a live viper. With a quick smile, he tossed the tape to me before wordlessly turning his back to us and stalking back to the waiting bevy of entertainers.

"Oh, God, you don't think…" she said in a pained voice as she looked up at me, her eyes begging for the correct answer. I wanted to reassure her, to tell her that he was just trying to be funny but before I could respond, he turned and faced us from twenty feet across with a truly evil smirk on his face.

"Take what you want Baby," he mocked in a ridiculously high voice. My mouth fell open as he cut his eyes to her and said "Never enough, huh? Well, at least you explained the rules of the house to him." With a final laugh, he turned his back and made his way across the room.

As we stared at his retreating form, he called over his shoulder "Should have let me be the seat cushion Eddie."


	24. Chapter 24Going Home

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**Getting this one out to you a little earlier than I'd expected. This chapter is more a transitional chapter than any of the others but that's necessary to set up what's coming. Hope you like it just the same.**

**The next chapter is the one that inspired the decision to write the sequel in the first place. I am so in love with it and I can't wait to get it to you. Hopefully that will come Tuesday.**

**Make sure you charge your Ipods. Chapter 25 has two absolute must listen to songs. I'll tell you what they are at the end.**

**Leave me some love and I'll see you guys very soon.**

Chapter 24-Going Home

EPOV

It took a full twenty-four hours before JP finally confessed that he had not, in fact, actually watched Bella and me in the back room of the club. He had spied her slipping into the door and guessed at what she was up to. In his attempt at being chivalrous in his own way, he had immediately sought out the security office of the establishment. He had apparently paid the man rather well to allow him into the room that held the multiple monitors and recording devices.

He had apparently killed the power to the monitor just as Bella stepped up onto the ottoman and then stood sentry over the screen to ensure that the man did not cut it back on. Unfortunately, there was no way to do the same thing for the audio portion of our performance. So he **had** listened to the entire event. But once we were finished, he'd pulled the small black tape from the recorder in an attempt to save us from an embarrassing leak of the video we didn't even know we were making.

But in true JP fashion, this bit of information only came to light after he teased Bella mercilessly. So mercilessly, that she had burst into tears after a particularly snide comment to me about "getting on my knees". She had sobbed that what went on between the two of us was special and beautiful, even if the surroundings weren't. He'd finally dropped all pretenses and confessed his actions to her when he feared that her emotional state was going to trigger a panic attack. She hadn't believed his explanation until I had assured her that the words he said matched the memories in his mind of that night. While still very embarrassed that he had listened to us make love, she was extremely relieved that he had not actually witnesses it.

Although he still continued to refer to us as Tommy & Pamela.

As the road crew broke down the stage after the last performance, the members of our tightly knit group began to separate. Jane had opted to join Tanya for a couple of days in New York before she returned to Seattle. They had left less than an hour after the last show amid a wave of jealous looks from the other members of the band and amused snickers from the rest of us. Alice and Jasper had flown back to Oregon the next morning to handle a few things that had been neglected in their prolonged absence and to begin the quest for Heidi. Rose and Emmett followed just a few hours later, only they opted to drive a rented Hummer back home. I watched quietly as Bella had cried through the hugs and promises of a quick reunion with our family. Strangely, it was Jasper that seemed to be the most reluctant to leave her. She had sensed his hesitancy, probably because he radiated reluctance as they hugged each other, and bravely assured him it would be all right, that we would see them in just over a week when we returned to Seattle.

Chip and Marcus had left late that same afternoon. They were flying ahead to Seattle to get things ready for the band's return. This, I learned, was pretty common at the end of one of their tours. Since most of, well all of them, except for Jane lived in the same building on the outskirts of Seattle, the two men that cared for them all would fly home and make all the necessary preparations. Kitchens would be stocked, dry cleaning would be sent out, apartments would be opened up to air out and any other details that needed attending to would be handled so that the band could relax once they arrived home.

Home.

We were going home.

The word had taken on a meaning I had never even contemplated.

I had offered to fly the two of us back as well but she quickly shot me down. I was confused at first by her response. But when she quietly pulled me aside and told me that she felt like she needed this time with the band, I understood. She was taking in all the time she could with the people that had been her world while she could. Because that time was finite. The next time the semis loaded the massive equipment and the tour bus was stocked with the massive amounts of junk food that they survived off of, she would not be with them.

But she was amazingly peaceful with her decision. Bella had always been like that. She would struggle and struggle with a decision. But once it was made, she was resolute in her determination to see it through. She was eerily calm about leaving everything behind to join me in a life that I had abhorred for so long. Her peace and tranquility were my strength as I thought of all the details that would need to be handled before the final decision was made. We had time. We had nothing but time to make any arrangements that needed to made and for her to be completely sure that this was what she wanted.

So it was three days later that we once again found ourselves back on the tour bus. The two remaining EverClear shows had been met with wonderful reviews, even without Bella at the helm of the performances. It seemed to be agreed upon by most industry executives that in Bella's absence, Jane was the perfect choice to front the band. I still thought the show lacked the intensity and beauty that Bella brought to the show but Alice informed me that I was somewhat biased in my opinion and I couldn't really disagree with her. I had joined them onstage each night and spent the entire time gazing at my wife. For each show, a small section of the stage had been set aside as a seating area for her and our family, reminding everyone in the audience below that there was a piece of the band missing. She'd danced and thrashed her way through each song with the same enthusiasm as the crowd at her feet, even going so far on the last night as to heckle JP from the side of the stage.

I'd just stepped from the shower and into the bedroom in the rear of the bus when the small black phone on the edge of the bed began to buzz. I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before I sat on the hard mattress and flipped the phone open.

"Jasper! How's Oregon?"

"Strange," the slow Southern drawl of my brother laughed into the phone. "Ali is like a tornado around here. She won't tell me what she's seen but I imagine from all the preparations, it has something to do with you two. By the way, your bedroom has been…renovated," he finished with another laugh.

"Why does that not surprise me? Everyone make it home alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Carlisle and Esme have their hands full again. Emmett finally got to make his cross country tourist run and Rosalie stormed into the house raging about all the stops they had to make along the way. How are the kids?"

I had to laugh. His obvious love for the humans just on the other side of the door from me was evident in his voice. It was still such a strange thought to think of how comfortable he was with the beings that just a few months ago would have sent him into a roaring blood lust. But as with everyone that she came into contact with, Bella had altered him to the core with her unyielding acceptance and compassion.

"The kids are…well, they're good but driving me a little crazy." I had just barely gotten the words out of my mouth when I heard for at least the hundredth time today the distinct "swat" of a hand meeting flesh followed by the "ouch" that told me this time JP had smacked Bella.

"What do you mean?" he snorted into the phone.

I rose from the edge of the bed and slid the door open just a crack. Sprawled out on two of the couches near the rear of the bus were Dimitri and Felix. Both were sound asleep. Actually, both looked to be in comas. They had spent the night playing cards with JP and had crashed just as the sun came up. My gaze wandered up the aisle of the bus to the large fold out couch that had not been tucked away for days.

I laughed quietly into the phone as I looked at the two amazing people reclining on the mattress.

JP and Bella were both stretched out, side by side, on the mattress with their backs resting against a mound of pillows. They both seemed to be doing twenty different things at once. A movie was playing on the flat screen that hung on the wall and they both quoted every single line of every single actor or actress that appeared on the flickering screen without ever really looking up. JP had several sheets of paper spread out across his lap and was writing the sheet music to something out. Bella had a large leather bound journal in her lap, writing so furiously that a small crease appeared between her eyebrows. She also had a single speaker wedged into her ear that was connected to her Ipod and her head swayed ever so slightly to the music. And both of them repeatedly reached into an extremely large plastic tub of the horrible licorice snacks that they could both apparently live on.

I was just about to close the door and resume my conversation when I watched Bella, for seemingly no reason, lash out and slap JP squarely in the chest with her casted hand. The loud "thud" against his chest seemed to echo through the small enclosed space. His body contracted with the impact, scattering the papers in his lap. With a mumbled "bitch" he resumed his writings in only seconds and never missed a line of the movie.

"I'm telling you Jaz, these two are worse than Em and Alice could ever be. Together, they have the attention span of a pair of attention-deficit disorder Tasmanian devils and apparently neither can go more than sixty seconds without slapping the hell out of the other."

"I can so see that," he laughed. "But they are a force to be reckoned with, musically at least. It shouldn't surprise you they are a handful off stage." I could hear a steady rustling noise in the background of the phone.

"What are you doing," I asked a little distractedly as I hear yet another slap from the front room followed by the muted "fucker" of Bella as she fussed with a mouthful of the nasty red paste.

"Edward, I found her," he said simply.

I looked up from my spot on the bed, the shoe in my hand frozen midway toward my foot. A thousand thoughts flickered through my head in a single instance.

"How did you do it so quickly?" I whispered into the phone.

"It actually wasn't very hard. Alice spoke to Chip a couple of days ago and she grilled him for information. I just followed up on what she got. I actually spoke with her on the phone a little while ago."

"And?"

"And the first words out of her mouth after I told her who I was were 'Is he okay'. Edward, after five minutes on the phone with her, I absolutely get why Bells and JP are so close. I swear if you take the supernatural shit out of the mix, they are mirror images of each other's past. She is his second chance at making things right by Heidi and he is her attempt at making things right by you. It's kinda eerie if you look at it from the outside. The chances of the two of them meeting when they did are almost cosmic."

I thought about what he said for just a second. Of everything she would have to walk away from, JP would probably be the hardest. Even more so than Chip. They were more dependent on each other than I think even they realized. They fed off each other's emotions, experiences and pasts. If I hadn't witnessed the connection between them myself, it would have been a source of great jealousy for me. There was no romantic link between them at all. Never had been. But they were as tied to each other as two mortals could be.

"So tell me about her," I asked curiously while still pondering the effect that separating the two of them would have.

"It's kind of strange to talk to her. She's a lot like Bella to be honest. Very warm voice but not at all what you would expect from just a picture. Mouth of a sailor and a very dry sense of humor. I completely see her and JP together. She also asked about Bella. She was as motherly as Esme about her."

I had to smile at that.

"So, did you mention why you were calling?"

"Yeah," he sighed heavily. "She's hesitant. If you ask me, she's still completely in love with him. But I think he hurt her as badly as…"

"As I hurt Bella," I finished for him.

"Yeah. Just imagine if this was you and Bella. How do you think she would react to a phone call out of the blue from a stranger no less asking questions about you?"

I huffed out a breath. Truth was I had no idea how Bella would have reacted. When we did come face to face, her reactions were all over the place. But that was a chance meeting. This was very akin to manipulation on our parts and I suddenly felt very uneasy about having made contact.

"Where did you leave it with her?"

"I gave her an open invitation to the show in Seattle. She is still living in the city, so I told her I would make sure there was a ticket waiting for her at the office and that even if she came, she was under no obligation to speak to anyone she didn't want to."

"Do you think she'll come?"

"I give it fifty-fifty chance. She made it a point to tell me that she is still single and she seemed excited about getting to hear them play. But you can still hear pain in her voice. She actually didn't say his name even once. She referred to JP as 'him' every time the conversation turned to him."

That was painfully familiar. I remembered with a wince that first night in Atlanta when Bella had asked me not to call her by name. I could hear in her voice that that single word spoken in my voice could cause her more pain than anything she'd been through physically.

"Well, I'll just hope for the best. If she doesn't come, at least we can let him know that she's safe and doing okay."

"I don't know if okay is the right word, Edward. I think she's getting by but I think it's a struggle for her everyday. Anyway, when are you guys getting back into Seattle?" His voice took on a much lighter tone, for which I was grateful.

"Sometime tomorrow afternoon, assuming that JP doesn't insist on stopping for another three hour dinner tonight."

"You nervous?" he asked with a chuckle.

"A little. It seems strange to be going to Bella's house. I can't really envision what it will be like. I keep trying but all I can see is the house in Forks. I don't want to intrude on her…"

"Edward!" Alice's voice shrieked through the phone. "Do not start that shit again. You two are married, for Pete's sake. If she didn't want you in her apartment, she sure as hell wouldn't have married you."

"I know Ali; it's just a little unnerving."

"Get over it and just enjoy your life. You've got a great one. By the way, I sent over a dress for Bella and I got you a new tux. They'll be waiting for you when you get into the city."

"Why do I need a tux?" I asked as I finished dressing. I opened the door just in time to see JP smack his open palm hard against Bella stomach. Rather than yell out, she jerked her right foot up and off the mattress and swiftly kicked him in the shin with her heel. Both of them uttered more profanities but then he passed her what had to be the thousandth piece of licorice of the morning.

"I don't know what the event actually is but you two were dressed to the nines. Ask Chip when you talk to him this afternoon. He's there with you. Oh, and I sent JP a suit too."

"Oh Lord, JP in a suit? This I have to see," I giggled as I continued to watch Bella writing furiously in the notebook perched on her knees.

"I know, right? I've already asked Chip to take a video camera with him. We love you guys and we'll see you in a few days. Esme, Carlisle and I are driving up the morning of the show and everyone else will fly in that afternoon."

"Why not all come together?"

"Emmett is going to Forks to take care of a few things. Rose and Jaz are going with him. So they'll be up late in the afternoon. Kiss Bella for me."

"I will. See you soon. And Alice. Tell Jasper I said thanks."

"I will. See you in a couple of days."

I closed the small phone and stepped back into the main area of the bus. I couldn't help but smile as my wife caught site of me and smiled brilliantly. She once again kicked JP with her right heel, although not a hard, and motioned for him to scoot over. He looked up from his sheet music and glared at me for a moment before he too smiled.

"Tommy! What's up?"

"Go to hell, JP," I teased as I stretched out along side Bella. Almost without conscious notice our bodies molded themselves against each other. Even if our minds had been okay with any small amount of separation, our hearts weren't. I wrapped my arm around her waist just as she lifted her left arm and placed it around my shoulders. I leaned my head down and placed my ear directly above her heart, taking in the steady strong pulsing that made up my world.

As I closed my eyes to focus on her heartbeat, I heard the soft melodic sounds pouring from the small headphone that lay against her stomach. My curiosity was peaked as I heard the unmistakable sound of opera music floating gently from below me.

"What are you listening to," I asked as I reached for the headphone and pushed the small spongy material into my own ear. I was immediately immersed in the beautiful powerful notes of an Italian love song. The force of the emotions surrounded the two of us as we lay silently listening to the incredible tenor voice that spilled from the speakers.

"Andrea Boccelli," she said softly as she raked her fingers through my hair. "I love his voice, even though I don't understand a word he says."

"What's your favorite," I asked her softly as the piece came to an end.

"Um…Cantico. Here, listen," she responded as she spun the wheel of her Ipod a couple of times. When she pushed play the sounds of the harpsichord spun an emotional cocoon around us. The gentle orchestrations that followed were so melodic that as I closed my eyes, I could easily have been transported back several centuries to a peaceful plaza somewhere in Italy. The powerful words of the aria were rich and adoring in their sincerity. Even without the benefit of speaking Italian, I would have known exactly what they spoke of. Pure unadulterated love flowed with every breath and every syllable.

We both lay still, only her fingers working their way across my scalp, listening to the song. I looked up once to see that Bella had her eyes closed and the most peaceful tiny smile on her face. As the climax of the song descended, I noticed that her entire body broke out in small goose bumps and a single tear slid down her cheek. When she opened her eyes and looked at me, they were filled with awe. I hugged her a little tighter to my chest as she leaned down and kissed me on the top of the head.

"I swear, when we go to Heaven, that song has to be what is playing when the gates open up," she said breathlessly.

I thought about her words for a moment. There was no hint of argument or defiance in her tone. She was absolutely certain that if our lives ever ended, that was where we would end up. The easy graceful acceptance of our souls residing in our immortal bodies had been a foreign concept to me until just a few weeks ago. I'd felt the flutterings of what could only be my soul as I'd watched her in Atlanta. But she had never, not even once, doubted its existence. I reached my hand up and curled it around the back of her neck, drawing her down to me. I whispered my love for her before I kissed her. If she had any indication what I was doing, saying a silent thank you for all that she'd brought to my life, she never gave any hint.

"I love you too," she said as she kissed me once more.

"Hey, Bitch! Your boy is on the screen," JP said in an overly loud voice.

She snapped her head toward the television screen and let out an exaggerated moan. I just rolled my eyes as I lay on my back against the pillow and looked to the screen. I couldn't help but laugh at the movie they were watching.

"Harry Potter? You're watching Harry Potter?"

"Shh," my wife shushed me as she stared at the screen. "Goblet of Fire is my favorite. Cederic is a hottie," she teased as she tugged a lock of my hair.

"Ya know, ole Ced kinda looks like Eddie," JP barked as his hand rattled around the thankfully empty container that smelled atrociously of licorice. He scowled into the clear container and huffed with indignance as he knocked it off the mattress in disgust.

"Oh, shut up Asshole. Edward is much better looking. But for a human…" she trailed off, eliciting a playful growl from me.

The rest of the afternoon progressed in a lazy stream of entertainment. Much to my and Bella's displeasure, JP had once again demanded a long drawn out dinner. Her agitation with the delay in getting back to Seattle was evident as we climbed back onto the bus in a cacophony of burps and farts courtesy of the guys. JP even went so far as to attempt to recite the alphabet during one of his longer belches much to the pleasure of Dimitri and Felix.

We spent an hour or so playing poker until JP had finally remembered that my ability gave me the advantage of seeing their cards every hand, leaving Bella as the only person at the table that could beat me. It was only after he'd lost more than $200 to me that the realization hit and he'd spent the next thirty minutes trying to convince me to return his money. I told him that if he could beat Bella that I would return my winnings to him. The game between the two of them was brutal but in the end my card shark of a wife prevailed. As we made our way back to the bedroom at the rear of the bus, she very inconspicuously deposited the money in his open bag and shot me a very knowing look.

After she'd spent a few human moments in the bathroom, we curled up together in the not so large bed. I lay on my back with her tucked into my shoulder and gently rubbed her back as she glided her hand over my chest. I could tell by her silence that she was thinking about something very hard but was hesitant to tell me what it was.

"Did you talk to Chip tonight?" I asked in an attempt to at least get her to speak. It was times like these that I truly deplored not being able to hear her mind.

"Yes, I did. He says he's got everything ready for us when we get back."

"Do you know why Alice sent me a new tux and you a gown?"

"Oh," she said a little surprised as she sat up to look at me. "I already knew that either she or Chip would do that. The night before our show, we're going to a charity function that I go to every year. I'm sorry, I should have asked you."

"Don't be silly. I'm not worried about going anywhere with you. Truth be told, I rather like the idea of you dressed in an evening gown. Kind of like prom all over again. I was just curious about where we were going."

I was startled to see sadness color her face as she listened to me. I sat up against the headboard as she sat up on her knees to face me, her brows pulled together. She looked down into her lap for a moment before she met my gaze again and I was crushed to see tears in her eyes.

"The Washington State Law Enforcement Association has a benefit each year to help raise money for the families of fallen officers," she said quietly and I understood the emotions. "Every year since Charlie's…well, since Charlie died, I've tried to do something for them. I got lucky and didn't need any help from them but they offered their assistance more than once. I never forgot how nice they were. Since the band kind of took off, I've been able to do a little more each year."

"Baby, that's the most gracious thing I've ever heard of. What all have you done" Her generosity knew no bounds. It didn't surprise me that she was involved in such an organization but the knowledge that she had wanted to help them even during the blackest part of her life made me fall in love with her all over again.

"Well," she started bashfully," most years, we play at the benefit. I also arranged for 30% of the proceeds from our Seattle shows to be given to them. The timing was too close this year to perform, so we donated a private box with ten tickets to the show the next night to be auctioned off. The first year, before we started touring, I donated half the money I got from selling Charlie's house. Someone paid twice what it was worth and I didn't feel right about keeping the money, so I gave it to them."

I pulled her fully into my lap and cradled her face in my palms. The emotions that enveloped me were staggering. As was the need to confess my role in that particular situation.

"Bella," I started, unsure how she would take this particular piece of information. "Baby, I bought Charlie's house."

"You what?" Her voice broke with her understanding.

"I bought the house. As a matter of fact, the deed is still in your name." I waited patiently while a whirlwind of emotions played in her eyes.

"But how did you even know? When did…" her voice faltered as the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

"I came back to Forks to see you graduate. I stood in the forest behind the school and waited. I just wanted a single glance at you. I was dying to know you were okay. But you never came. When they called your name, several people in the crowd thought of you at the funeral and I realized what had happened. I went to the house that night and bought it the next day."

Keeping one hand on her soft skin, I reached over and pulled the wallet out of my bag by the bed. I flipped it open to reveal the pictures of the two of us that I'd taken from the floorboard beneath her bed so many years ago. She stared wide-eyed at it, her breath coming in short gasps. She reached a shaking finger out and lightly traced the somewhat faded photo of the two of us.

"Edward, I can't believe…you came back even then?"

"I just wanted to see you. To make sure you were happy," I admitted guiltily.

She wrapped her arms around my neck in a death grip. Her hot tears poured onto my bare shoulders as I rocked her from side to side. We stayed locked in each other's embrace for a long time before she pulled back slightly. She leaned forward and kissed me very tenderly before she cupped my own cheek in her hand.

"That is the most incredible thing I've ever heard Edward. Thank you."

"Anything for you my love. Anything at all."

I settled us back down into the mattress and readjusted the covers around our bodies. She pulled herself up and onto me, effective lying on top of me with her head just below my chin. I absolutely adored the sensation of her body atop mine and would have been content to stay in the same position for all of eternity. Her breathing became steady and a little more shallow than normal. Sleep would not be far behind my admission to her.

"Tell me about your apartment," I whispered into the darkness.

"Not a lot to tell," she yawned into my chest. "It's pretty small by Cullen standards but I like it. Big living room with a bunch of windows and a fire place. It's only got one bedroom and bathroom. Pretty good kitchen, not that I've gotten to use it much in the last couple of years. I don't really remember the last time we were home. JP is across the hall from me and Chip and Marcus are right above me on the top floor, I hope you like it," she finished with another larger yawn and I felt the muscles in her back relax.

"Anywhere you are I'll love. I just hope you don't mind me invading your home."

"Our home, Edward. It's our home. It's just an apartment without you," she barely finished just before she fell into a deep sleep.

"Our home, baby," I whispered into her hair. "I love you Bella."

I closed my own eyes and matched my own breathing to her rhythm. I willed my muscles to relax into the mattress beneath me. In the still and quiet of the night, I almost felt as if I too were drifting to sleep in the arms of my incredible wife. As her steady breathing soothed me I thought about the fact that when the sun rose, we would be back in Seattle and the place that would mark the beginning of our journey into forever. I'd struggled with that concept from nearly the first moment that I'd met her but there was an odd peace in it now. I let out an unfamiliar sigh of contentment, wrapped my arms a little tighter around her as she shifted her weight above me and began to daydream of all the experiences that we could share over the next several centuries. As I lay there, I thought about Alice's words to me just a few hours ago on the phone.

Yeah, I really did have a good life and it was time I started enjoying it.

**Chapter Notes: You absolutely have to listen to two songs with the next chapter. First one was mentioned in this chap. Andrea Bocelli's Cantico. It is the most astounding piece of music I think I have ever heard. Bella's reaction to listening is my own reaction every single time I listen to it. Without fail. Second must have song is "You" by Evanescence. Don't peak and listen to it ahead of time but have it ready to listen to as you read. Both of these are also on YouTube as well. **

**See ya very soon,**

**Kelly**


	25. Chapter 25A Night to Remember

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys knew that already.**

**I told you last chapter to get your listening devices ready, so I hope everyone has a full battery. If you've never taken my advice on listening to the songs before, now is the time. This chapter simply looses so much without the two songs.**

**After more than 300,000 words on EverClear, this is by far my favorite chapter. It would thrill me beyond words to have a boat load of reviews for this one. We had almost two thousand reads last chapter and just a handful of reviews. Normally, that doesn't bother me, I'm just glad you guys are still with me. But I would love to get the feedback on this one from all you lurkers, as well as my faithful reviewers.**

**Special thanks to Michelle for her guidance and collaboration on this chapter. I struggled with wanting it perfect and you held my hand and guided me through it. Happy TwiTuesday and have a drink at lunch for me.**

**Playlist:**

**Cantico-Andrea Bocelli**

**You-Evanescence**

**Both songs are on YouTube, just type in the artist and song. And grab the hankies while you're at it.**

Chapter 25-A Night to Remember

Esme POV

"Can you please explain to me why it is that we are arriving before the sun even comes up?" Carlisle asked as we drove down the dark expanse of the highway. I glanced over at him and saw an amused grin tugging at the corners of his lips. I took his hand in mine and brought it to my mouth, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. His patience and understanding had struck me as his greatest trait the very moment I'd opened my eyes to my new life and that still held true all these years later. I would forever be grateful for the gift that sat beside me; husband, lover, friend, father or protector. It didn't matter what label you placed on him, he was the embodiment of the very best of them all.

"Because, we just need to get there early," Alice's voice chimed from the back seat of the car. I twisted in my seat and saw that she had pulled out her laptop once again. She had been checking her email every few minutes since we'd pulled out of the garage several hours ago and had huffed exasperatedly each time whatever she was looking for failed to appear.

"Honey, what are you doing back there," I asked as gently as possible. Her beautiful eyes met mine and she smiled gloriously.

"I'm waiting for an email from Chip. He promised that he would send me videos of last night and I'm dying to see them."

"That's right, the benefit was last night. But Alice, it's so early. Don't you think that…"

"No, he'll send them very soon," she said with a knowing smirk. Her fingers flew over the small keys on the small red computer in her lap for just a moment. I knew, before she even spoke that the message she had been waiting on had arrived, simply by the light that filled her eyes. Her squeal of delight moments later confirmed it as she bounced in her seat slightly.

Carlisle chuckled slightly as she squeezed my hand. He looked back at our daughter in the rearview mirror and shook his head indulgently.

"Well? Are you going to share it with us?" I asked as her head tilted to the right and she sighed happily. She passed the tiny computer through the seats and into my outstretched hand. Almost immediately, she scooted her small body forward until her head, neck and shoulders were wedged between the seats. I angled the small screen so that we could all, Carlisle included, see the message sent from Chip. Alice began to read the written message and I couldn't help but grin.

_Alice,_

_Darling, we missed you terribly last night. I tried my hardest to capture as much of the night as possible but I don't think I did it justice. Last night was simply…magical. If I didn't love Marcus and Bella so much, I might just try to catch Edward for myself. The third clip will kill you. It has to be one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in terms of sheer thoughtfulness. Tell Esme that not only did she raise a daughter with a flawless fashion sense but a son that is a hopeless romantic. Love ya, Doll and I'll see you in a little while._

_Chip_

_P.S. You missed the happy couple's second fight yesterday. Bella wanted her cast off and Edward refused to do it. It was only after she called JP and he showed up with, gasp of horror, a hacksaw that he gave in and took it off himself. She did agree to wear the brace, so tell Carlisle not to worry. I wonder if that had anything to do with them being almost half an hour late last night? Hmm, inquiring minds want to know._

Everyone in the car laughed. I'm sure that Alice and Carlisle were envisioning the same scenario that I was at Chip's post script. It sounded just exactly like both of them and I, too, was sure that their fight was indeed the reason they were late for the benefit.

"She is a devious little shit," Alice smirked as she positioned the mouse on the link for the first video. "Only Bella would call JP of all people to cut off her cast. The girl really does have no sense of self-preservation."

"Don't be absurd, Alice," Carlisle laughed. "She knew when she called him that Edward wouldn't let JP near her with anything with the word 'saw' in it. I am glad she did at least agree to wear the brace. It really is too early for her arm to be out of the cast but I can only imagine the fight she put up."

The screen filled with a very close up image of Chip in his tuxedo. He was standing in what appeared to be a large ball room. Sparkling chandeliers hung every few feet on the high ceiling above him as he twisted and posed for the camera. Behind him were multiple large round tables that were set for an elegant dinner service. Crystal and china peeked out from every table top visible and in the center of each was a large arrangement of fresh flowers. Visible in the distant background was a stage with what appeared to be a small orchestra and directly in front of the stage was a parquet floor that had obviously been laid out for the attendees to dance on. Milling around in the background were officers dressed in their finest uniforms. Polished brass buttons and crisp blue jackets could be seen from every angle.

"Where in the hell are they?" an obviously irritated Chip asked the camera. "They should have been here almost half an hour ago."

"I bet Bitch is getting freaky in the limo," JP cackled as the camera moved to frame his smiling face. He looked adorable in his dark suit. The dreadlocks that usually obscured at least half of his handsome face were pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore none of the studs or bars that generally adorned his eyebrow or ears. He was standing very casually, a drink in one hand, beside an equally cleaned up and polished Dimitri. They both seemed surprisingly comfortable in the clothes they wore as well as in the setting.

"Oh my God!" Alice shouted as she clasped her hand over her mouth. "He looks great. I wish he would dress up more often," she gasped between soft laughs.

"He does look nice," Carlisle agreed from beside me. "As long as he keeps his mouth shut. He and Emmett are so much alike it's almost scary."

"Really, JP," Chip admonished from off camera. The lens swung again to focus on Chip as he once again looked at his watch. "Surely they didn't…"

"There they are," Marcus' soft voice called from somewhere behind the camera. I guessed that he was the current operator from his absence on the screen.

The camera swung wildly around the room until it landed on the large double doors of the entrance. I gasped as the camera focused in on the stunning couple that stood in the doorway.

I had never seen a more beautiful couple in all my time on the Earth. Each of my children was breath taking in their own way. As I looked at the image on the screen, I couldn't help but think of each of my children and their most outstanding attributes. Emmett exuded an easy presence with his deep dimples and a smile that would melt the heart of any woman. Rosalie was perhaps the most classically beautiful of all my kids. Her flowing hair and perfect figure had stopped men in their tracks even as a human. With her new life, her beauty had only been enhanced and she wore her striking features with a haughtiness that was both intimidating and alluring. Jasper had the soft graceful features of his Southern heritage and his intensity made him seem other worldly sometimes. And my Alice had the exotic features of a fairytale being. Her small angled features and her natural vibrancy drew people to her, even against their natural aversion to our kind.

Alice broke me out of my reverie with a small gasp. "Oh, Esme!" she fluttered as she touched my arm. "Look at them!"

As I stared at the figures on the screen, I was sure that there could be no one in the history of the world that could compare to my two youngest children. Alone, each one of them would have been enough to bring traffic to a stand still. But standing arm in arm and looking at each other with the purest form of love pouring from their eyes, they were almost too much to take in. The sheer perfection of them as a unit was unfathomable.

Edward was dressed in a classic tuxedo. The perfect cut of the jacket emphasized his broad shoulders and his narrow waist. His generally unruly mane of bronze hair was somewhat tamed while it still held a hint of dishevelment. I imagined that he'd run his fingers through it several times, a nervous habit he'd had since I'd first met him. But his smile was what made him look so utterly gorgeous. It was a wide sincere smile that only graced his face when he was near Bella. He looked more relaxed and happier than I'd ever seen him as he stood proudly beside his wife.

And Bella was simply…perfection. She wore an incredibly elegant white gown with wide set straps. The Empire satin bodice flowed effortlessly into a pleated inset waist that accentuated her tiny waist. The gown flowed to the floor like water and had a slight A-line shape to it that created a small train. Her hair had been pulled back in the front and sides but flowed in loose curls down her back. Around her neck was a flawless diamond necklace. Perfectly matched stones hung in a ring just above her collar bone, the length slightly longer than the chokers she wore almost nightly. In the very center was an extremely large pear shaped diamond that lay perfectly in the small dip above her sternum. Adorning her ears were a pair of matched diamond solitaires that anchored two more pear shaped gems. Her arm was tucked delicately into the crook of his arm as they made their way into the room but her eyes were fastened on him.

Every head in the building snapped towards them and people seemed almost spell-bound as they watched the amazing couple enter. Only steps into the room, a gentleman that was obviously a high ranking officer stepped toward them with his arms held wide. Bella kissed him on the cheek and then took his offered arm. The two men at her side escorted her toward the camera as she smiled at a beaming Chip.

Chip hugged her tightly as they reached the group and then he stepped back and held her arms wide. As they spoke sweetly to each other, JP came around behind her and laced one arm around her waist as he kissed her on the cheek. She turned around and squealed loudly as she took in his polished appearance.

"Tell me that's costume jewelry around your neck," Chip praised as he reached a fingertip toward the pendant hanging around her neck. She turned toward Edward and blushed a deep crimson color that gave away the answer before she even spoke.

"No, this is Edward's idea of a present," she said bashfully. At that moment, Edward stepped behind her and wrapped both arms around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her neck just above the ring of gems in an endearing display.

"I told you I wanted to get her something. That's why I asked you about her dress," my son teased Chip, who stared wide eyed at him. "These are the only types of teardrops I ever want to see my Bella have," he said sincerely as he kissed her neck again.

"Good Lord, Edward! I had no idea that was what you were talking about," Chip stuttered as he continued to gawk at the exquisite jewelry.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" he said as he kissed her shoulder.

The uniformed gentleman stepped in the line of site of the camera and obscured my kids as he motioned toward the empty seats in front of them. The camera lens swung wide and then faded to black.

"Do you remember the lectures he used to try and give Emmett every time he tried to bribe his way out of trouble with Rose," Carlisle snickered from the driver's seat. "I never thought I would see the day that Edward did the same thing."

"Oh, now you don't know he was trying to bribe his way out of the fight they had," I said as I lightly smacked my husband's arm. "I think the more likely scenario is that he'd been looking for an excuse to buy her something like that and this was just convenient."

Alice's tinkling laugh cut into the discussion as she opened the second video file. The scene that came to life showed Bella and Edward seated at the table with plates of human food in front of them. Bella was looking at Edward with a slightly annoyed expression as he cut the piece of steak on her plate into tiny portions. He was either oblivious to her expression or chose to ignore it as he pushed the plate back toward her.

"Can I feed myself or would you like to do that as well," she snipped to him. His only response was a quick peck on her lips and a brilliant smile. He leaned in to her and whispered something that made her blush. There were snickers around the table as she picked up her fork and took a dramatic bite.

Edward picked up his own fork and pushed the food in front of him around on his plate. To anyone other than our practiced eye, it would have looked like he was eating. He even went as far as to pick up the crystal goblet in front of him and brought it to his lips, doing a perfect imitation of someone sipping their wine. Alice snickered as she watched him fake his way through the dinner and even I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Aw, Eddie, what's the matter? You don't like your steak?" JP's smart-alec voice rang out. Edward's head shot up from his plate and he glared at JP, who sat on Bella's other side. Bella laughed loudly as she looked at Edward, who melted at her amusement. Even I knew that JP would not be deterred so easily, especially if he thought Bella was amused.

"Um, no, it's fine," my son stuttered as he tried to diffuse the uncomfortable scenario. The gentleman that had greeted them as they entered sat on Edward's side and looked at him poignantly. Edward hesitated for just a moment before he speared a large piece of the meat and quickly put it in his mouth. The grimace he tried to conceal as he chewed the food was priceless and Bella laughed even louder as she watched him struggle. He chewed for just a few seconds before he swallowed the meat. JP's barking laugh filled the air as he clapped loudly at the display and I saw that Edward flipped his middle finger toward him under the table, thankfully away from the eyes of the dignitary on his left.

"Ew, can you imagine what that tasted like," Alice said as her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Worse, can you imagine that coming back out?" I retorted.

"Esme! That's disgusting," Carlisle laughed as he shook his head slightly.

"Well, its true and you know it."

Alice reached impatiently between the seats and clicked on the third attachment to the email. The line of Chip's email referencing this particular video had piqued her interest as well as mine. Knowing Edward and his penchant for the dramatic, I couldn't wait to see what he'd done that so impressed Chip.

When the images came into view again, the camera was at a new angle. Whoever was the operator was standing some distance away from the table so that a clear view of both the stage area and the audience was visible. The man that had joined Bella and Edward for diner was standing on the stage in front of a microphone and the audience was clapping graciously.

"This is not an organization that anyone wants to become a part of," he began soberly. "We are dedicated to easing the loss of our fallen officers' families, although as each of you knows, there are some things that nothing can heal but time."

I watched as Bella's dark eyes saddened at his words as she watched him from her chair. I could only imagine how horrible Charlie's loss had been for her. That time of her life had been so dark, so painful already and his loss must have simply shattered her. My heart ached to reach out and comfort her, even though I knew logically that I could offer no comfort to a video image. Almost as if he'd read my mind, Edward reached out and gently stroked her neck with one of his long fingers. It was a simple gesture but the moment his skin made contact with hers, a discernable change swept over her entire body. She melted back into her chair just as he leaned forward and kissed her temple.

"But as members of this association, it has been our privilege to meet some of the most amazing and strong people. We honor you, as well as our fallen brothers tonight, for your strength, your compassion and your generosity to each other," the officer continued. "It is in that spirit of generosity that I have several announcements and then we will get on with this evenings special performance."

I looked at Alice questioningly but she simply shrugged her shoulders. It was an unusual event for my pixie to be unaware of an event, particularly one that involved her brother and his wife. With an amused smile, I turned my attention back to the screen as the man continued to speak.

"First, I'd like to make an announcement. Many of you in this room know that among our members is the daughter of Police Chief Charles Swan of Forks. His loss, like all of our brothers, was tragic and unexpected. But through such a tragedy, we have been graced with an extraordinary presence. Isabella is a member of the rock band EverClear, who by the way, I am told, currently hold the number one album on the charts…so, congratulations to you all," he said warmly as he nodded toward Bella and JP. "In addition to the donation of a private box and tickets to tomorrow night's show that will be auctioned off in just a little while, I was made aware of another donation the band has made to our fund. EverClear's new album contains a song that was written about Charlie Swan and because of that connection, they have decided to donate five percent of the gross earning of each album sold. I don't have to tell you that this is an exceedingly generous donation and please join me in thanking the band for its continued support."

A loud round of applause, led by Edward, filled the screen. Poor Bella was the color of a stop sign at the attention and even JP looked somewhat bashful. But Edward looked as though he would explode with pride as he stared at her. With a small wave of her hand to the officer, she turned in her chair slightly and leaned forward to kiss JP's cheek.

"That is a generous donation," my husband said from beside me. The pride in his voice was evident as he spoke of our youngest daughter's gesture. I stroked his cheek lovingly as he smiled into the dark highway in front of us before I returned my attention to the screen.

"Second, we have a surprise for you that is truly once in a lifetime. We are being graced with a performance by one of the world's premier singers tonight. He has performed in world renowned theaters from New York's Met to Sydney's Opera House. His presence here tonight is in dedication to two very special people."

A collective muttering could be heard around the room. I noticed that Edward had a look of sheer anticipation on his face and that while everyone else in the room looked to each other in question of which performer it could be, he simply stared at Bella with unabashed love. The orchestra behind the officer began to play softly and the distinct sound of a harpsichord became the dominant instrument discernable in the music. Another officer stepped onto the stage, his arm offered as a guide to a dark haired man that I immediately recognized. The guide led none other than Andrea Bocelli onto the stage as the crowd gasped in realization.

"Mr. Boccelli is here with us tonight to perform a few of his best known works. Truly, we are graced with such a rare performance from such a gifted artist. His performance tonight is in remembrance of Police Chief Charles Swan and in honor of his daughter Isabella Swan Cullen," the first man finished to a round of thunderous applause.

"He **did not** pull that off," Alice gasped as she watched the tenor step to the microphone. His regal appearance in no way indicated the handicap that would have defined so many other people as his voice flowed effortlessly through the room.

I watched, my voice caught in my throat, as Bella rose silently from her chair and stepped toward the stage a few paces, her eyes wide and fixed on the stage. The hand that was covered in the wrist brace clutched her stomach tightly and her other hand covered her open mouth. Her eyes shone with tears but the look of utter delight on her face was clear. The incredible voice of the unassuming man encased the entire room but I could not watch anything but the reaction of my daughter. Even on the grainy video, it was clear that she was almost gasping for breath as each note touched her.

Edward silently rose from his own chair and joined her in the middle of the room. He slid one arm around her waist and she leaned back into his chest. He inclined his head just slightly so that his lips just brushed her ear. I could see him moving his mouth but he was so quiet that I could not make out the words. As he continued to speak to her, the incredible song continued. As the first chorus ended, the arm that she had covered her mouth in awe latched onto Edward's forearm, almost as if she needed his help to remain standing.

"What do you think he's saying to her," Alice whispered her appreciation with the scene before us apparent.

"If I know Edward, he's whispering a translation of the lyrics into her ear," I responded just as quietly. I could feel my own hands shake as I watched the touching gesture. There was a palpable love that was evident to all that gazed upon the magnificent couple wrapped in each others arm as they were serenaded by the perfection of Bocelli's voice. As the song continued, I could see her visibly shaking from the force of her emotions. I could only imagine what she was feeling in that moment. The power of the aria, the surprise of the serenade coupled with the fierce love for my youngest son that radiated off her would have been overwhelming even to a vampire.

As the second verse came to a close, she wrapped her braced hand around behind her and gripped his neck. The small smile that tugged at his lips was enamoring. He knew, as I did, that the most powerful part of the song was coming. She took several ragged breaths as the note approached, trying and failing to steady herself for the onslaught. As the tenor's voice soared through two octaves, her eyes closed almost unwillingly and the tears she has so valiantly withheld flowed from the edges of her lashes. When the beautiful music had faded and the orchestra played the small interlude that would usher the ending of the song, she turned in his arms and nearly collapsed against him. He held her against him, her feet just barely touching the ground and with one gentle finger lifted her chin.

As the last verse of the song began, they stared into each other's eyes as if they were alone in the room. Neither spoke but it was apparent that they were communicating with one another. I'd never in almost one hundred years seen anything as pure as the all consuming love that seemed to shield them from the outside world. She laid her head against his chest and he rested his cheek atop her head as they watched the song come to its end. As the deep rumble of the bass drums ushered the final dramatic finish to the song, they turned in a synchronized act and kissed passionately. When they pulled apart, they joined the other patrons in a fervent round of applause for the painfully beautiful song, never fully letting go of each other.

The camera swung wide to show Dimitri, JP and Chip all on their feet applauding with the crowd. JP had an unfamiliar look of longing on his face as he watched Bella and Edward while Chip cried openly. I was startled to see Dimitri swipe his long finger underneath his eye as he turned away from the camera for just a moment. As the next song began, the image on the screen went black.

I could feel my own eyes pricking with tears as I turned to look at my daughter. Her face reflected the same emotions that I felt as she let out a shaky laugh. Neither of us, it seemed, had the words to describe what we'd just witnessed. I felt the comforting warmth of Carlisle's hand as he slipped his fingers around my palm and lifted my hand to his mouth. The soft caress of his lips calmed me in a way that nothing else ever could. His mere presence brought with me a tranquility that I'd never known as a mortal and I was forever grateful that he was eternally mine.

"You taught him well, "Alice said shakily as she reached for the small computer. It was so touching to see her so moved by her brother's happiness and I couldn't help but grasp her hand and place a small kiss on the smooth skin. She smiled dazzlingly at me before she released my hand.

"He didn't learn that from me, Alice honey. That is your father's doing," I said honestly. Carlisle had long been taunted by our children for his grand gestures but it was evident that while Edward had been one of the loudest voices of ridicule, he was also his father's most astute observer.

The rest of the drive passed in a peaceful calm. We made small talk but it was clear that we were all anxious to arrive in the city. As the deep ebony of night began to give way to the muted colors of dawn, the city's skyline came into view. With each passing minute and each step of the instructions we'd been given, the excitement that only a family reunited could bring began to fill the interior of the car. Alice was nearly vibrating in her seat as we made the final turn onto the narrow road that lead us to the eight story building in front of us.

Carlisle let out a low whistle as the incredible architecture of the building came into focus. The building recalled an older time and sentiment with its pale brick façade and rows of windows. The dim blues and reds of the changing sky behind the structure only added to its impressiveness.

"Chip told me it used to be a hotel. He and Marcus found it abandoned and bought it for next to nothing," Alice narrated from behind me. "They spent years renovating it and when it was done, they couldn't bear to part with it. So they renovated it a little more and turned it into apartments."

We pulled into the narrow drive that lead us into an underground garage. Just fewer than two dozen vehicles lined the sides of the building and I couldn't contain the laugh that escaped when I spied the familiar dull red paint of the monstrosity that was Bella's truck. I hadn't seen the vehicle in such a long time but the second my eyes found it, I was transported back more than five years to a summer when it graced the driveway of our home on most afternoons. The echoing laughter of my husband told me that he had the same memories and was just as delighted at seeing a relic of our past.

"I wonder how long it will take him to kill the truck?" Alice giggled as we passed the ancient pile of steel.

Just as we pulled into one of only three vacant spaces, a man in a dark blue coat stepped out of a small office next to a set of elevator doors. He didn't seem startled at our arrival so early in the morning and I guessed that housing occupants with a rather odd profession, he'd become used to visitors at all hours of the day and night. I was somewhat shocked when he addressed us by name as we stepped from the car.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, Chip told me to expect your arrival. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the lobby. The top three floors of the building are only accessible from the internal lift, as I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, of course," Carlisle said as we all stepped into the small cart that gave a slight jerk before it rose quickly into the air. We all glanced at each other as the man stood with his chest puffed out a little more than was natural. He was obviously trying to make a good impression and it was amusing to watch his display of protectiveness.

The doors opened and we were ushered into a stately lobby complete with marble floors and a gleaming wall of mirrored elevators. The room held all the grandeur of the posh inn that it had once been and I could absolutely see Chip's influence on the elegant décor. The security guard walked briskly across the floor as he pulled a card key from his pocket and slipped it into the electronic coder on the wall.

"This way," the man said with a slight bow in the direction of the new car. Once we had all filed in, he stepped in and pressed a series of numbers. A green light clicked on and the doors shut, leaving us once again enclosed and rising.

"Why all the security?" Alice asked with an amused tone.

"Well, the band has its fair share of admirers that routinely try to gain access to their homes. But after the incident in Texas, we decided that additional security was necessary."

"I see," she said quietly as we all recalled that horrific night that felt like a lifetime ago. The man's casual mention of the event that nearly took both of my children from me sent a small shiver down my spine. Noticing my discomfort, Carlisle placed his hand on the small of my back and stroked up and down very slowly. The gesture was both welcomed and appreciated.

"The Cullens are on the seventh floor and Mr. Chip is on the eighth. Do you have a preference to which one you go to first?" the man asked in a polite tone. I smiled widely at the mention of "the Cullens".

"The seventh floor please," Alice answered with a quick wink in my direction.

The doors chimed as the car came to an abrupt halt before the reflective doors opened once again. As soon as they did, the sound of a piano filled the air. A startling melody drifted loudly down the corridor and wrapped itself around us all as we took our first steps into the long hallway. I was shocked to see Chip and Marcus sitting in the floor outside of a doorway on the left, both dressed in their bathrobes and very wide awake. Standing in open doorway on the right was a visibly groggy JP, clad only in a pair of boxers, a thin bathrobe that hung open and a pair of ridiculously large grizzly bear slippers. In his hand was a steaming cup of coffee. His hair, so neat and tamed in the video of the night before hung in wild strands around his face as he spoke quietly to the two men in the floor.

At our approach, all three smiled widely and Chip and Marcus both struggled to rise to their feet.

"What in the world are you doing in the hallway?" I asked as Marcus leaned forward to kiss my cheek. The notes from inside the apartment came to an abrupt halt and I could hear a distinct scratching sound. The soft sounds of Bella's sweet laugh made me smile as I faced Chip. "She's already awake?"

"Awake? She's never gone to sleep. That's why we are all camped out in the hallway," Marcus grumbled good-naturedly. The melody began once again and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Alice was positively rabid as she looked toward the door.

"What?" a startled Carlisle asked as he gave JP a sideways hug. "You can't be serious. They've been playing all night?"

JP snickered suggestively and even Chip seemed to catch my husband's unintentional double meaning. Carlisle looked from face to face for a moment before he caught the inside joke.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said with the most embarrassed look on his face I could remember ever seeing.

"I did," JP piped up as the piano stuttered to a halt once more. Soft voices from inside murmured quietly to each other, unaware of the crowd of people outside the door.

"You ready?" Edward asked and I could hear the smile in his voice. There was a subtle shifting noise, as if someone had changed their position before she whispered "yes" to whatever his request was.

The music began for a third time but there was something slightly different about it that I couldn't place. There seemed to be an easy flowing quality that had been missing from the previous two versions I'd heard in the last few minutes. I was on the verge of asking if we were going to stand in the hallway all day when I heard the familiar supple sound of Bella's voice through the thick wooden door.

**The words have been drained from this pencil**

There was a collective gasp from all of us as we looked to each other. It had been so long since I'd heard the angelic voice of my daughter. The smooth power of her voice drew me in without hesitation as I strained to hear her.

"Open it, open it!" Alice said in a flutter as she motioned to Chip. He was fumbling with a ring of keys that he'd pulled from the pocket of his house coat and my exuberant daughter was no longer trying to contain her enthusiasm as she bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously.

**Sweet words that I want to give you**

Much more quietly than I thought him capable of Chip eased the metal into the lock and turned it quickly. The large door squeaked just slightly as he pushed it wide to reveal the inside of Bella's apartment. We all filed into a small entrance way with a single table and lap to the right. White-washed hardwood floors accented the soft eggshell color of the walls and led to a short hallway, only nine steps that brought us into a very modern kitchen. The marble counters of the square kitchen flowed with the same warmth as the flooring and rested above antiqued cabinets. Stainless steel appliances gleamed in the dim light coming from the living room. With a sweep of his hand, Chip motioned for us to gather in the kitchen and I was pleased to see an opening that gave a perfect view from the kitchen into the large room beyond.

**And I can't sleep**

**I really need to tell you**

**Goodnight**

The living room was incredible. Exposed brick of the same muted color as the outside of the building covered three walls while the fourth held an expanse of floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the Seattle skyline gave the entire place a warm inviting feel. On one wall sat a massive fireplace that crackled with the flames of a fire left to die out. Surrounding the fireplace was a mantle that perfectly complimented the hardwood floors that carried into the room. The furniture made my stomach tighten as I took in the room. The pale color pallet of the sofa and chairs could have been taken directly from the family room of my home in Forks. The same peaceful tranquil environment that I had worked so hard to make for my family had been painstakingly recreated in my daughter's home. The one exception was a rocking chair that sat in the far corner of the room. Draped over the back of the wooden slats was a quilt that simply oozed familiarity and love. I knew instinctively what these were. These pieces had come from Bella's home in Forks. I was sure, as I recalled the stories of Edward sitting in that very rocker the first night he'd stayed with her after they had declared their feelings for each other, that the quilt was the same one that had been on her tiny bed back in Charlie's house. The significance of the room and the two sentimental pieces nearly overwhelmed me as the emotional melody continued to play.

Centered in the wall of windows in a position of honor was a gleaming black piano. And seated at the bench was Edward. He was dressed in the black slacks of his tuxedo and his sleeveless undershirt. His bare feet moved gracefully over the pedals of the instrument as he moved his fingers seemingly without conscious thought. Sitting on her knees with her bottom resting on her heel atop the piano was my daughter. Her hair still held the remnants of the curls from earlier in the evening but the sides had been freed and her luxurious mane flowed freely over her shoulders. She wore his starched dress shirt, the dreamlike gown tossed unceremoniously onto the arm of the nearest couch. Crumpled at the foot of the piano bench was a small piece of lace that I realized with embarrassment had to be her undergarment. The necklace I'd so admired as we watched the clips in the car was still secured safely around her neck.

There were multiple sheets of paper scattered haphazardly on the lid of the piano as well and I noticed, with a small chuckle, a small tray of half eaten fruit and various types of crackers. Two empty soda cans lie on their side at the very end of the piano and an open bottle of water sat less than a foot behind her.

And they were completely oblivious to anyone except each other.

They both stared into the face of their mate with more love and longing than I'd ever seen. The high ceilings of the room gave the acoustics of the room a tone that couldn't be matched anywhere. The absolute certainty of his every stroke against the keys coupled with her crystal clear voice made the scene seem like some imagined dream and I almost felt as if we were intruding upon a moment so private that I should be turning my head.

**When we're together**

**I feel perfect**

Even as she sang, she smiled at him. The words that flowed were genuine and sincere as she sang to him and him alone.

**When I'm away from you**

**I fall apart**

I felt my husband's strong arms encircle me from behind, much in the same fashion as I'd watched Edward do for his wife a thousand different times. The love and strength I felt from his presence only added to the beauty of the scene before me. I felt his chest rise and fall heavily as he watched our children silently and I knew that he too was overwhelmed with the emotions that flowed between them.All you say is sacred to me Your eyes are so blue I can't look away

Edward smiled his unique lopsided grin at her words and I could see her cheeks rise as she smiled back at him in an almost teasing manner. Every note he touched, every chord he played was the perfect compliment to her soaring voice.

**As we lay in the stillness**

You whisper to me

As she sang the words, she sat up a little straighter and his face took on a look of reverence. The shift was subtle but meaningful and I held my breath as I waited for the next line of the song that could have been spoken by either one of them to the other.

**Baby**

**Marry me**

Promise you'll stay with me

My eyes filled with tears as I watched him mouth the words to her as she sang. It was clear that they had both poured themselves into the song and that they were equally affected by its feelings. In the widow behind them, the sun had just begun to peak its way above the horizon, casting a dim glow across them. The auburn highlights of her hair shimmered in the light and I noticed for the first time that they were almost an identical shade to the wisps of red in his hair.

Oh, you don't have to ask me You know you're all that I live for

The force of her voice as she continued to sing was staggering. I watched breathlessly as he leaned his body forward and pressed his forehead against her legs. She looked down at him and very gently stroked her hand through his hair as her voice rose in strength and pitch.

You know I'd die

**Just to hold you**

Stay with you

He placed a kiss on her knee before straightening up and continuing the song. I felt my hand grip Carlisle's arm as I saw the same glimmer of tears in his eyes as I felt in my own. I looked quickly over to Alice on my right and sighed as I saw her and JP hugging each other.

Somehow, I'll show you

Both of their shoulders shook with amusement as they faltered for the briefest of seconds with the timing of his playing against her singing. I heard a small chuckle escape from Chip, who leaned sweetly into the arms of Marcus beside him.

That you are my

**Night sky**

The intensity of her voice returned in a sharp gust and the enormity of their words once again blanketed all of us. His gaze was exaltation as he watched his wife sway slightly with the fervor of her words.

I've always been right behind you Now I'll always be right beside you

The last line she sang reminded us all of the power her tiny body possessed. As she held the note longer than any other of the song, her head rolled to the right just a bit, a habit I'd noticed she had when she pushed her voice into the higher ranges. The sheer force of her voice rattled the panes of the window behind them, not enough that human eyes would have detected it but more than enough for vampiric ones to notice.

Edward never faltered but slowed his playing just slightly to allow her voice to ring above everything else. His hands stilled briefly and he nodded his head toward his own lap. With a slightly wicked smile, Bella slid herself sinuously off the top of the piano and into his lap facing him. She sat fully on his lap, her legs dangling over the edge of the bench and her arms draped over his shoulders.

Another one of his crooked grins spread widely across his lips as he changed the tempo of the song. The notes he played, while still beautiful, had a less serious, more playful sound to them. She threw her head back with a laugh, her hair falling across the keys as he continued to play. The joy in her voice and eyes pulled him toward her and he kissed her exposed throat as he continued to play. But as she looked back at him, their mood shifted back into the solemn tone that had begun the song, as did his playing.

Her left hand left his neck and caressed his cheek as the tone of the song once again ensconced us all. They stared hard into each others eyes, speaking without words all that their hearts had to say to each other. Her hand gently traced his cheekbone as she sang the final verse.

So many nights

**I cried myself to sleep**

**Now that you love me**

**I love myself**

Beside me, Chip's emotions got the better of him at her words. He struggled to catch his breath as the tears flowed with an uncontrollable speed. I also realized that JP stood stoically, still clutching Alice to his side, as silent tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. The sun broke over the horizon just as she began the final lines of the song, casting them both in a brilliant light that seemed to divinely stationed. Edward's skin reflected the light in a dazzling array of color that blended seamlessly with the stones around her neck, creating an effect that made them **both** appear to be sparkling in the new born sun.

I never thought I would say that

**I never thought there'd be you**

Edward brought the melody to an obvious close as she held the last note. As soon as she released it, they moved toward each other and claimed each other's lips. His hand buried itself into her hair, clutching her to him tightly and she mimicked his action by tugging at the hair on the back of his neck. So consumed with each other and their emotions were they, that they paid no attention to the steadily growing sounds of each of us trying to regain our composure.

They were still locked tightly together when JP shifted his weight and spoke into the cool air of the morning.

"She's leaving us soon, isn't she?" he whispered so quietly that it could have easily been missed. But Chip's astute hearing caught his words and the sorrow behind them.

"Yeah, I think she is. But…"

"But she has to. She should be with him, not us. She was always supposed to be with him," he said with finality.

"How long have you been there?" Edward asked as he looked to us all standing in the confines of their kitchen. Bella's head was resting just below his chin and she smiled at each of us gloriously.

"Long enough to know that was the most incredible song I've ever heard," JP answered for all of us. With a quick kiss to the top of Alice's head, he stepped out of her arms and quickly crossed the room to the piano bench.

He knelt down, his large furry bear feet pointing in our direction, eliciting a chuckle from both Marcus and Carlisle. He showed no signs of hearing the laughter or noticing the humor as he grasped hands with both of them. I could only see him from the back but his posture was filled with determination as he looked at each of them.

"When you leave, will you do something for me?" he said in a clear voice. Only the salty smell of his tears gave away the emotions in his voice. Bella nodded her head, giving him the assurance to continue. "Will you do it Buddy Holly style? No goodbyes, no warnings. I don't think I can say goodbye to either of you. Be happy and love each other and know that I'll always love you both."

Bella's trickle of tears turned to outright sobs as she released his hand and pulled her against them forcefully. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder, as did Edward. The three of them shook with their emotions as they hugged almost violently. Bella had buried her head into her bass player's shoulder, her body heaving from the force of her cries. Edward's eyes were closed tightly as he too let himself show his true feelings.

I felt a tug on my hand and turned to see Carlisle pulling me toward the doorway. Alice was already in the hallway outside with Chip and Marcus, both red eyed and sniffling.

"Why don't we give them a few minutes," my husband said quietly as we pulled the door shut. We stood in the small area unsteadily for a moment before Chip began to make his way toward the elevator. Just before the door closed, I heard Bella's voice float down the hallway.

"We'll always love you too."

"Asshole," Edward and Bella said together at precisely the same moment. The last sound we heard before the doors closed on us was the brilliant mixture of all three of them laughing together.

**Chapter Notes:**

**It was brought to my attention that some of you might be curious about Bella's dress and necklace. I have changed the Avatar of my profile to a picture of the necklace Edward gave her (the link kept redirecting it to a nonsense sight). I'll leave it up for a couple of days. As for her dress, from MSN, type in "Nordstrom gowns". Click the first link and then go to page 5. On the second row at the far right is a picture of a Calvin Klein Empire Satin Gown. That's what I envision.**

**Leave me some love and I'll see you soon.**


	26. Chapter 26Visitors

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys knew that already.**

**This chapter tried to grow arms specifically for the purpose of whipping my ass. I had intended to get it out to you Tuesday but it just wouldn't cooperate.**

**Thank you so much for the incredibly response to the last chapter. I loved how so many of you appreciated some of the subtle symbolism of it.**

**Playlist:**

**Higher Ground-as performed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers**

**More Human than the Human- Rob Zombie**

**Phantom of the Opera-original cast recording is the best**

**Buttons-Pussycat Dolls**

**Away From Me-Evanescence**

**Eternal-Evanescence**

**The last two are must listen to songs. As always, they can be found on YouTube.**

Chapter 26-Visitors

BPOV

I had no idea how long the three of us sat there wrapped in each others arms, drawing comfort from each other. I couldn't distinguish my tears from JP's as the front of Edward's shirt became progressively wetter. I could feel the love from the two men who held me and I tried my hardest to convey my own to them both. JP for all that he'd been to me for the last four years and Edward for all that he would be for eternity. They had both played such a pivotal role in the person I'd become and it felt like fate was playing some cruel game by making me sacrifice one for the other.

If I thought I was crying as hard as possible as we embraced each other seeking solace, I was sadly mistaken. After an immeasurable amount of time, Edward released his arms from around the two of us and cleared his throat. JP and I both looked at him, identical puffy eyes and runny noses gazed back into his dark eyes. We laughed quietly as we both moved to wipe the wetness from our faces as we peered back into the steady ocher eyes of my husband.

"JP," he started unsurely, "I need to say something to you. I need to thank you. For keeping her safe, for making her laugh. But mostly for helping her discover how strong she is, how talented. I owe you more than I can ever repay," he finished quietly, his voice shaking.

"It was my pleasure, Edward. I always knew she was meant for something more but it was my pleasure."

I watched with a lump in my throat as Edward reached for the wide brown cuff that lay atop the piano lid. He'd worn it last night beneath his jacket and had removed it when we'd begun to play. Very slowly, he reached for JP's arm and grasped it gently. With a sad smile on his face, he fastened the cuff around my friend's wrist and then clasped his hand between both of his.

"You are my brother in every way and a Cullen through and through. Never forget how much we love you."

JP stared at the small piece of leather wrapped around his wrist. I couldn't help but recall his reaction as he'd watched as I was presented with my own crest and I knew the feelings it had provoked from me. My tears flowed in a torrent, probably ruining the expensive shirt I was dressed in. With a heavy sigh, JP threw himself back into our embrace and gently rocked from side to side, comforting himself and us at the same time.

"Thank you. For everything."

A loud grumble from his stomach broke the heavy silence that filled the air. With a chuckle he pulled back, pushed one of his dreadlocks out of his face and smiled his familiar grin. We both attempted to control our human reactions and a chorus of sniffs and snorts echoed off the high ceiling of the room.

JP stood up tentatively and looked around the room. I had barely registered the presence of the others in the room before he had knelt in front of us and I was surprised to see that we were alone now.

"I guess…" JP said with a chuckle, "they felt we needed some privacy." He looked around the room, the very same room he'd stood in a hundred different times, as if he was seeing it for the first time. With a shuddering breath, he continued. "So when we leave this room, we leave this," he motioned in a wide circle between himself and the two of us still sitting on the piano bench, "here. I mean it. I can't say goodbye. When we go upstairs, we go back to business as usual."

I simply nodded my head at his request. I'd been thinking very hard since the first night I'd watched the band play without me of exactly how to extricate myself from this life. There were legal issues to handle that concerned the band and logistical issues to deal with but the hardest thing for me by far had been how to break the personal ties. And just like always, JP had done it for me. In a very selfish recess of my mind, I'd been thinking the same thing he'd voiced. It had felt cowardly to simply disappear but I didn't think I could physically make myself say the words to any of them.

But he was right, for more reasons than even he knew. Simply disappearing with no warning and no conversations would be akin to ripping a band-aid off in one swipe. It would leave the relationships in tact while giving the people in my life the plausible deniability they would need to continue on with the band. It would also have the added benefit of creating a sort of legend-like story for the band. I had no doubt that EverClear would carry on without me and a split second disappearance would give them a ton of press to build upon.

"Okay, Bitch," JP said in a more natural tone. "I'm fucking starving. Queenie better have breakfast on the fire upstairs. I'll meet ya'll there in twenty?"

I awkwardly pulled myself from Edward's lap and crossed the room to where JP stood in his boxers and robe. When I reached him, he placed his arms around me and locked his hands at the base of my spine. I placed my hands on either side of his face and willed him to hear all the thoughts I couldn't verbalize. I leaned forward and kissed him very softly before I stretched up on my toes to hug him.

He got it.

He hugged me back gently and again began to rock us from side to side. Every few seconds, we would both kiss the other one's hair or neck or shoulder. This was the only goodbye we would have and we both knew it. Knew it and wanted to make sure the other understood everything that we meant to each other. With a final kiss on his pierced lip, I stepped back and smiled at him.

"Will you at least put on some pants? Your dick ring is really cold this morning."

He stared at me frozen for a moment as my words settled in. He opened his mouth to say something as Edward's loud laugh echoed behind me. I turned to see him clutching his stomach as he laughed harder, which only made me start giggling. I looked at JP, his eyes once again holding that familiar wicked gleam, and felt some measure of relief that our tear-filled morning was coming to an end. He wagged his eyebrows at me before he winked and turned toward the door. He reached for the handle just as Edward stepped behind me and placed his hands on my hips.

"So, I guess that's as close to a three way as I'm getting with you two," he smirked as he pulled back the heavy door.

"Sorry, but yeah, that's all you get," Edward answered for me. JP shrugged his shoulders in amused defeat before stepping out into the hallway. Just a few short seconds later, I heard the thud from across the door as he made his way into his own apartment.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered into my ear as his arms encircled me. I could hear concern in his voice but there was also relief lacing his tone.

"Yes. He actually said what I'd been thinking for a while now," I confessed as I turned to face him. "It makes sense. And it would leave the band in a position to use the publicity."

"I have to confess, I'd been thinking the same thing. But you realize that if we do it that way, we can never come back to this life." His brows furrowed with his words. I ran my thumb over the crease in his forehead, trying to smooth out the ripple of his stone skin. He relaxed under my touch but his eyes still held the same concern.

"Edward, this life was never anything more than a distraction. It was always a way to keep you in my heart while filling my head with things other than the pain of missing you. Yes, I love them. Yes, it will be hard to walk away from Chip and JP especially. But you know as well as I do that it doesn't have to be a permanent separation. We can still see them, eventually. But you are where I am supposed to be, Edward. With you, always."

"And I you," he said just before he pulled me against his lips. Almost immediately, his tongue lapped at my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I deepened our kiss, letting all the emotions of the morning flow between us. I felt my feet leave the floor as his arms wrapped fully around my back. He stood there, swinging my lower body as he shifted his weight, and kissed me for the longest time. When he felt my chest heaving, he pulled away with a final chaste kiss but didn't put me back down.

"We make a pretty good team, don't you think?" I said as I thought of our night at the piano.

We'd come home from one of the most amazing nights of my life and literally attacked each other. Hands had torn at the expensive fabric of our clothes with abandon as we'd stumbled across the room toward the couch. At the last second, I'd turned us toward the piano. I had fantasized often about making love to Edward on my piano and there seemed to be no more perfect night that the one we'd just experienced together. The incredible gift of the performance coupled with the staggering beauty of Edward in a tuxedo set the stage for one of the most emotional and most passionate nights we'd spent together.

Completely sated, I'd stretched out across the lid of the much used instrument to blatantly ogle my stark naked husband as he stood in the kitchen and made a small snack for me. I'd reached down over the edge of the smooth lid and randomly stroked the keys.

That simple mindless act had evolved into the two of us working at a fevered pace writing together. The melody that he'd begun to play was one I recognized as a tune he'd hummed to me several times. The words had flowed easily as he played and I hadn't even realized we'd spent the entire night working until JP had stepped in front of us.

"We make a perfect team. I love to hear you sing. But you singing something we wrote together has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen or heard."

His words were so sincere, so genuine that I couldn't form any type of response. So I kissed him, hoping that he would feel the emotions that swirled within. He softly moaned into the kiss just as my own stomach growled. We broke apart with a chuckled and then stood there a moment longer wrapped in the warmth of the morning sun.

"How about a quick shower?" he asked as I ran my fingers through the downy hair at the base of his neck. "Not to be unkind, but you kind of look like hell after being up all night and crying all morning."

"Thanks a lot," I said in a mock huff as he set me down on my feet. With a light swat on my rear he nudged me toward the doorway that lead to the bathroom. Just as I grabbed the handle, he called out to me.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

I simply smiled at him as I stepped into the small tiled room, peaceful in the knowledge that everything was falling in to place for me to join Edward.

Half an hour later, we stepped through the only door on the eighth floor of our building. The moment we'd stepped off the lift, the smell of fresh backed muffins and eggs filled my senses. I noticed with a chuckle that Edward had wrinkled his nose at the same aroma that had made me inhale deeply and almost purr in delight. As was customary, I didn't pause at the door to knock but simply pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside.

The enormous penthouse that Chip and Marcus had created for themselves was magnificent. Rich fabrics and warm colors flowed beautifully from every detail. Directly across the room from the ornate door, a monstrous fireplace cracked with a fresh blaze. The deep cedar smell of the roaring fire mixed with the aroma of the delectable fragrances pouring from the gourmet kitchen made my mouth water. Seated in the living room, among the large sofas and deep chairs were Alice, Esme and Carlisle. As Edward pulled the door shut behind us, all three looked to us and smiled.

"Bella!" Alice squealed as she catapulted herself over the back of the couch. In the blink of an eye, she stood before me with her arms outstretched. I hugged my tiny sister as I gazed over her shoulder to Carlisle and Esme, who were both looking at me with pure love shining from their eyes. Carlisle shook his head in amusement as Alice pulled me toward the kitchen, speaking a hundred miles an hour about feeding me so that I didn't look like shit for the show later on and about the amazing outfit she and Chip had for me to wear later on.

"Do I really look that bad? You're the second person in an hour to tell me I look like crap," I quipped.

"Make that three," Chip called out over the sizzling and popping of the bacon in front of him. He smiled at me, letting me know he was only teasing before he continued on. "You do look very tired, Sweetie. Why don't you try to get some sleep before sound check?"

"He's right, Bitch," JP said as he stalked across the room toward the stack of pancakes that sat on a plate to my left. "You've been away for a while. Sound check could take a little longer today."

"Fine, I'll try," I huffed as Chip shoved a mountain of food in front of me.

"I kind of need to hunt," Edward said from over my shoulder as he and Alice looked on disdainfully as I smeared butter over the heavenly-looking food in front of me. "So it will work out well."

The next two hours was spent with all of us sprawled around the living room talking about the events from the previous evening and the show later tonight. Our venue had been switched to a small arena that seated twelve thousand people, a far cry from the three to five thousand we normally entertained. The crew had been hard at work for the last day modifying our stage production to fit the much larger room and I couldn't wait to see the results. I stretched out on the couch with my head in Edward's lap, the fire crackling in front of me and surrounded by the most important people in my life. I fought valiantly to keep my eyes open but the incredible warmth and comfort of the room pulled me into a deep sleep with moments of lying down. The last thing I was conscious of before I drifted off was how relieved I would be when my body no longer required sleep.

EPOV

I was as close to high as I could possibly be the entire morning. The last twenty four hours had been dream-like. I knew Bella would love my "gift" but even I had no inkling of how powerful her reaction would be. I stood behind her and felt every note of the beautiful aria ripple down her spine. Her tears, her embrace and her smile as she watched the performance made all the frantic preparations and the obscene amount of money involved worth every second of it. The fact that she looked like something out of a fairytale as she stood in my arms only added to the magnificence of the evening.

And our night. Good Lord, our night. In all the years of fantasies I'd had about a life with Bella, nothing could ever come close to the night we'd shared. The combination of the most unbridled passionate love making and the time spent writing together was mind altering. We fit together in every way. Our methods for composing were as different as our physical bodies but somehow when they came together it was perfection. So wrapped up in her voice and our music was I that I'd not even noticed that the room had filled with our family. I'd not caught neither their scents nor their thoughts as they filled into the room and watched as my angel sang the truest words ever written. It was only her body's reminder of her human needs that surpassed the sheer joy that I'd been consumed by for the last eighteen hours.

But as I watched her scarf down more food than I'd ever seen her eat, I realized that she had to be utterly exhausted. Her heart rate slowed and her eyes were drooping as we recalled every detail of the benefit to my parents and Alice. I knew the moment she laid her head in my lap that it would take only seconds for her to be deeply asleep. It was only because I understood how badly she needed to rest that I was able to wrench myself away from her to hunt. I had not thought about leaving her for almost three weeks. The attack, the hospital and the ensuing performances had driven all thoughts except for her from my mind.

But I knew that being in a room with more than twelve thousand sweating humans necessitated the need. As Chip tucked a blanket around her, we worked out the schedule for the day. It would be grueling on her. Sound check would most likely take upwards of two hours. After that, there was a small press conference for a few local publications that had been supportive of the band through the years. Dinner, dressing and then the show would follow.

And the show would be astounding.

Bella and JP had worked for more than an hour on their "home-coming" play list as they ate everything that wasn't nailed down around them. They had argued so fiercely about which of the older songs to include and which songs from the new album that in the end they had decided to split the show into three sets. Three very long sets. They would be on stage for damn near three hours. And considering how long it had been since Bella had been on stage and what her body had been through physically, even I had my doubts as to whether she could endure so long under the strain. I had been informed by my indignant wife though that she was more than up to the challenge and would gladly accept my apology for my lack of faith in her at the end of the night.

Alice and I had been out a little over two hours when we her phone had begun to ring. At first, I was ticked. The small herd I'd been stalking had been startled by the unnaturally shrill sound. But with the news that the Forks trip had taken less time than originally thought, the other three Cullens would be arriving in Seattle in the early afternoon hours. They had all three asked in louder than necessary tones if they could come to the sound check and then cheered excitedly when I told them I saw no reason why they couldn't come.

"Edward, you are not going to believe who is making their way to Seattle right this second," Emmett crowed with obvious enjoyment.

"Okay, I give up. Who is coming to Seattle?" I asked distractedly as I tried to catch the scent of something else to satisfy the dry ache in my throat.

"A few of your favorite people from Forks?"

"Emmett! I'm kind of thirsty here, just tell me already," I said a more bitingly than intended.

"Tyler Crowley, Eric Yorkie and Mike fucking Newton," Jasper crowed into the phone. "Seriously. We were on our way to the house early this morning and saw the three of them piling into an SUV behind the sporting goods store. Em pulled around behind them and they are coming to see if they can get into the sound check to 'surprise' Bella. There is a larger group from the high school coming up tonight for the show but we thought you might be interested in that particular piece of info."

It was childish and immature that I took as much pleasure as I did at that little piece of information. She was mine in every possible way. But I could not help but smile a bit gloatingly at the thought of rubbing it into Mike Newton's face. I was envisioning a very crass scenario of that exact thought when Jasper sweetened the news even more.

"Dude, I don't think they know you guys are married. You and Esme were kept out of the press after the attack. I don't know how anyone could miss that little nugget with all the stories about EverClear in the last two months but Newton made some asinine comment about not being an awkward highschooler anymore and finally taking his shot at Bella."

"Oh God, this is too much," I laughed as I envisioned the idiot's attempt at seducing my wife. As a teenager, he'd stumbled and stuttered in his attempts at flirting with the painfully shy quiet Bella. He'd have no fucking idea what to do with the siren dressed in leather that dominated the stage.

"You are so bad, Edward," Alice giggled beside me. The look in her eyes was as wicked as I felt. She nudged her shoulder against me and nodded, confirming my thoughts of playing with the boy that had irritated me to the point of madness. "She won't mind."

"Jaz, do this for me. Make sure security lets them into the sound check, okay. Tell them to make them sweat it a little but let them in. But try to keep them in front of the soundboard."

"What are you doing little bro?" Emmett cackled into the speaker. "Aren't you a little old to be playing games?"

"Shut up, Em. I'm just going to have a little fun. He's earned it. Listen, we'll pick you guys up at the airport and head straight over to the auditorium, so don't fuck around."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be there."

Three hours and several deer later, the five of us made our way toward the small arena that would welcome home the band like conquering heroes. Carlisle and Esme had opted to stay behind when we left to hunt and had arrived with Chip and Bella. As I'd stepped out of their opulent home, Bella snoring like a grizzly in hibernation on the couch, they had both assured me that they would see that she made it safely to the theater. Carlisle had even promised to wrap her wrist before allowing her anywhere near the stage. We both knew it was too soon for her to play but we also knew that trying to stop her would be akin to stopping the world from rotating on its axis.

The darkened windows of the chauffeured car hid our unnatural skin tone from the blazing fall sun as we rounded the corner and the theater's main entrance came into full view. Standing in a snake-like line around the glass front were several hundred fans, all dressed in the requisite black and leather. They chatted happily to one another and bounced around thrashing their heads as they waited for the doors to finally open so that they may worship at the feet of the band. Just as we turned the corner of the building to make our way to the rear entrance, I caught sight of a woman at the ticket counter that seemed out of place among the fans. She was very tall but willowy thin with elbow length brown hair. Rather than the enthusiasm and excitement that screamed from the fans in line, her body language shouted uncertainty and hesitancy. But before I had too much time to ponder the anomaly in the crowd, she disappeared from my sight and the heavy steel double doors of the rear loading dock came into view.

Standing outside on the loading dock smoking a cigarette were several of the road crew. In the middle of the group was Boz, the band's longtime soundman. He had been with them almost since they first began touring and was as integral to the success of their live performances as any of the musicians. He was rounder than most of the crew and wore thick rimmed glasses but he sported the same long hair and multiple tattoos as the rest of the band. He smiled widely as the car pulled to a stop and the doors sprung open, spilling my siblings into the protective shadow of the hulking building in front of us.

"Dude, I am so glad you're here. They are like cracked up spider monkeys today. Maybe you can rein them in a little," he said jovially as I shook his hand. We had all, my sisters included, become friends with the guys that kept the band's tour running smoothly. And with Jasper and Emmett's declarations as heads of security, they were even closer to the crew than I had become.

"Have our special guests arrived?" Emmett asked Boz with a truly evil grin on his face. He rubbed his hands back and forth expectantly and let out a sound that rivaled the comic book villains of old.

"What a bunch of wankers. Should have heard them trying to convince Alec that they were 'close personal friends' of Bella's." Boz scoffed disdainfully. "We sat 'em about half way up on the right lower seating area."

"Perfect," I said darkly. Again, I should have felt childish for relishing in the sheer amount of satisfaction I felt at the idea of taunting Mike. But really, I'd had to endure countless crude fantasies as they played out in his unimaginative mind in regards to Bella every day for months. Who could blame me for enjoying watching him squirm under my real life fantasy?

"Why don't you just piss on her leg Edward," Rose spat. Her words were haughty but her tone suggested that she was supportive of my train of thought.

The blaring thrum of the bass broke through the conversations. The distinctive sound of "Higher Ground" echoed through the heavy door that separated the large area behind the stage from the stage itself. I couldn't help but smile. Just on the other side of the door, my Bella was settling into the routine that had been her life for four years. Only this time around, I was there to watch.

"Aw, shit. She'll have my ass if I'm not in there," Boz said hurriedly as he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand. With more speed than I thought him capable of, he wrenched the door back, allowing a tidal wave of sound to encapsulate us. He walked with a purpose through the doors and into a series of hall ways that wove themselves underneath the stage.

"Who? Bella?" Alice asked as she floated along side the portly sound tech that was moving like a demon was chasing him.

"Hell yes. If I'm not up there by the time they finish this song, she'll have my nuts in a jar on her mantle.

"Is she that bad?" I asked with honest curiosity in my voice as we climbed a small set of wooden stairs toward the sound board. The lights of the stage filled my field of vision, blinding me for a second, before the scene unfurled around me.

It was the same stage set up that I'd become accustomed to over the last two months. Only it was monumentally larger. Everything, from the center runway to the walkways that spanned the upper deck of the colossal room to the towers on the sides of the stage had been modified to accommodate the much larger venue. It was nothing short of amazing that the crew had been able to pull this off in just a couple of days. I looked up into the ceiling to see a gargantuan light rig that spanned the entire area of the room. Several thousand lights with their multicolored films blinked in rapid succession as somewhere at the rear of the room the lighting tech worked to coordinate the rows of twinkling fixtures.

"That's right, I forgot that you've never been here for a sound check with her," he mused as he took a very natural looking place behind the mixing board. "Lord, they are in quite a mood for you to get to see it first hand. Your wife is a little Hitler when it comes to getting everything just right"

I looked to the stage to see JP and Dimitri in their normal positions on either side of the stage. JP was slapping the shit out of the instrument slung over his chest and throwing his head around in a nonsensical pattern that apparently made sense to no one but him, if the looks that Felix and Jane were giving him were any indication. Dimitri was playing with equal fervor but he was pressed against the microphone singing the Stevie Wonder song at the top of his lungs.

I laughed as I watched them wiggled and throw their heads around to the music. Boz was right. They were more animated than I had seen them in a long time, the excitement of their homecoming evident on their faces. On the left side of the stage, just out of the scope of the swirling lights stood Chip and Carlisle. And in front of them, Bella was dancing and bobbing around impatiently as she held her right arm out to Carlisle. Both men looked highly amused at her hyperactivity as I watched Carlisle wrap her wrist and forearm in a thick white tape. He had followed through with his promise to secure her arm as much as possible but was finding it much more difficult to do so as he tried to hit a moving target. I smiled like a fool as I watched her singing the chorus of the song as she looked over her shoulder longingly at the other musicians who became more and more engrossed in the song with each passing note.

Chip had her dressed to kill, no doubt in preparation for the reporters that would meet with the band after the practice concluded. Leather pants that were tighter than I'd ever seen her wear clung to her like a second skin as she swayed her hips seductively to the throbbing music, the edge of her tattoo visible only when she twisted a certain way. Red leather boots with extremely high heels rose up her legs and over her knees by a few inches, not quite reaching her thighs. She had on a smaller more fitted version of a motorcycle jacket that showed just a hint of what I could only imagine was a red leather top of some sort. Her hair flowed down her back and grazed her ass longingly, reminding yet again of just how incredibly sexy she was on stage.

She cut her eyes toward JP, who was thrashing around like he had some sort of muscular disorder as he played the song with a fever I'd never seen from him. The volume in the room was extraordinary and I could hear the crowd outside screaming and cheering as they heard the music and had undoubtedly figured out its source. She smiled indulgently and then returned her attention to Carlisle with the most adorably impatient look on her face. He was focused on her wrist though, for which I was grateful. If left to her own devices, she would no doubt be on the stage right now and probably without so much as the brace to protect her delicate bones.

"Edward!" Alice said loudly, pulling my attention away from the erotic form on the side of the stage. "Rose and I are going backstage with Chip. Play nice," she admonished with a sly grin as they stepped into the labyrinth of hallways underneath the stage that would lead them back to the dressing rooms.

I instantly realized what, or more accurately who, she was referring to. I scanned the right side of the seating area in front of the stage and immediately found the three figures seated awkwardly in the fourth row. All three of them still looked remarkably similar to the boys they had been in high school. Eric's dark hair was shorter but his face was still filled with the impish wonder he'd seemed to wear constantly so many years ago. Tyler had also changed very little. He had always been thin and lanky and the same held true as he watched the stage with rapt attention. And then there was the assface himself, Mike. I wanted to crow with my own gloating as I took in his appearance. The soft rounded features that had given him a boyish appearance back then had given way to pure pudge. He was every bit forty pounds heavier but still trying to dress as if he were not. What I am sure he thought of as a suave appearance, with the dark jacket over his jeans, simply looked like he was hiding the new spare tire around his middle. I was also snarkily happy to see that the obnoxious blond spikes that I remembered had given way to a slightly receding hairline that was making the "casually indifferent" hairdo he sported seem contrived.

I stared, and gloated, at the three of them as they sat at attention and looked more out of place than even my family did in the midst of Bella's heavy metal clan. From all around them, the road crew threw them looks that ranged from pity to outright dislike and I felt an odd kinsman ship with the long haired men that were still setting up for the show. They were almost as protective of her as I was, even from people as obviously harmless as the boys that we'd know years ago. I knew that the view of the stage they had had not allowed any of them to see Bella from her confinement at my father's hands. I was positive that the moment she came into sight, I would be assaulted with the thoughts of all three.

I didn't have to wait long.

I looked back toward the stage to see Bella hug Carlisle and Chip at the same time. She kissed each of them on the cheek and then wheeled around very quickly toward the stage just as the second round of the chorus began. She ran, literally ran, toward JP and pounced on his back with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He didn't stop playing but he did thankfully stop thrashing his dreadlocks around long enough to look over his shoulder at her smiling face. Seemingly unaffected by the extra weight on his back and familiar enough with her so as not to be surprised by her antics, he simply angled his body slightly toward the mic so that she could wail the chorus of the song with him, both of them smiling madly.

"_Oh, wow!"_

"_Holy crow…she looks…"_

"_Ungh…fuck me."_

The voices of the men blatantly staring at my wife assaulted me at precisely the same moment. It wasn't difficult to determine who was thinking what; the most vulgar of the comments was, as always, Newton. But even their incessant chatter as they turned to each other with eyebrows raised and tongues wagging wasn't enough to distract me from Bella. She was glowing with happiness. Her cheeks had that familiar flush of adrenaline, her smile was a mile wide and her eyes were on fire with anticipation. I watched, captivated, as she slid from her JP perch and danced her way toward Dimitri. Even as he continued to sing the song, the smile he had for her was obvious. She slung her head back and forth in time with the music as the music crested toward its finish. Just as the song came to a momentary break before it picked up into a dizzying pace, she stepped to his side and braced herself with the mic stand. Then they all whipped their heads around in circles that were perfectly timed with the thundering music that was twice as fast as any other part of the song.

I laughed out loud, as did my brothers, as I noticed that every member of the crew on the floor and high above us in the lighting setup also spun their heads around. Even Boz had stood up from his perch behind the massive mixer and slung his shoulder length hair in time with the music. When the song came to an abrupt halt, he grinned sheepishly at our smirks.

"It's tradition. Don't let JP catch you sitting still during that part unless you want your underwear pulled up to your ears," he said with a shrug of his rounded shoulders.

"_Holy hell, she looks hot as crap."_

"_Yeah, buddy. Please turn around, please turn around, please turn around."_

I groaned as the thoughts of the three stooges turned increasingly more graphic, Newton by far the most x-rated of them all. Jasper and Emmett both grinned knowingly as they followed my gaze to the front of the stage. Jasper's shoulders actually shook from the laughter that he was doing nothing to contain while Emmett leaned around him to punch me in the shoulder.

"Relax, Ed. You knew this was coming."

"That doesn't mean that I have to like it," I whined as the band began a new song. Jane's keyboards pounded out an eerie stream of notes as I returned my attention to the stage.

"Ooohhh, Bitch this one is all you," JP cooed into the mic.

"Bells it's been too long, you've got to do it," Dimitri encouraged as they both watched Bella walk to the center mic and grab it with both hands.

I noticed two things at the same time. First, every single member of the construction crew had stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the stage and second, my wife had begun to blush. The combination of the two was intriguing to say the least.

"I love this fucking song," Boz said dreamily as he too watched the stage with rapt attention.

The steely grinding chords of the guitars and the pounding of the drums as the song's intro began did nothing to distract from Bella as she closed her eyes and gripped the steel frame of the mic stand suggestively. In the next second, she began to moan and pant into the still room.

"Oh, fuck," I moaned as I listened to my wife recreate sounds that automatically sent my dick into overdrive. I was vaguely aware of the cackles of laughter from my brothers and of the vapid thoughts of the idiots watching from the audience but nothing could tear my gaze from the devilish sounds my wife continued to make. "What the hell is this song?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Rob Zombie," Boz said, his eyes shifting to a more focused appearance as Bella mercifully stopped her auditory orgasm and turned her back to the large room. She bobbed her head in small nods along with the music as the guys picked up steam and launched into the song's main body but she also began to walk backwards up long runway in the center of the room, the fingers of her left hand tapping lightly against her thigh as she did.

"What is she doing?" I asked as Boz's fingers began to move the myriad of buttons in front of him on the sound board. It was fascinating to watch her and not only because every step she took made her ass sway along with the song. Her body language was stiff and seemed very much focused but as she turned her head to the right, I noticed that her eyes were closed. I also remembered that this was the song Boz had said he had to be upstairs for with some trepidation.

"She's listening. Watch her hands," he said very seriously.

Her long elegant hands were raised to shoulder length now and she was making various gestures. With each change in her hand, Boz would adjust the soundboard and I was startled to hear subtle changes in the various levels of the instruments' volume and tenor. She was blindly listening to each individual instrument and then suggesting slight changes that would give EverClear the distinctive sound that had people literally lined up around the corner to see them play live. It was amazing to watch. It would have been difficult for a vampire to pick up each individual change she made but she dictated with her own version of sign language with pitch perfect precision.

"How do you know when she's happy?" I asked her sound tech as the two of us watched her every move.

"When she gets it just right, she'll start head banging more and move back up to the main stage."

"Can she hear it if you don't make the changes?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. I wasn't kidding when I said she'd have my ass."

I watched in fascination as the sound became more and more defined. After almost two full minutes, during which the band played like maniacs, she began to thrash her head from side to side with more energy.

"You got it kiddo," Boz said as he leaned in toward a small mic on the far left corner of the sound board. "Wrap it up and we'll do a mic check."

"Is she wearing an ear piece?" I asked suddenly very excited.

"Yeah, this room is too big to try and scream out. We want her voice for tonight, not barking orders."

As the music faded, the musicians all clapped wildly at their own performance. They were apparently as happy with the outcome of the adjustments as she seemed to be. They were also apparently aware of the next step in the sound check because Dimitri took his guitar off his shoulder and set it carefully in the stand by his side just as Felix rose from behind his drum kit and stretched. Jane took a long drink from a water bottle on her keyboard and then kicked her feet onto the now silent keys.

I watched as Boz fiddled with a small CD and tried valiantly to ignore the hushed chattering of the guys from Forks as their conversation became solely focused on Bella's enhanced physique. I looked to the stage and noticed that JP had disappeared but that Bella was standing in front of the mic to the far left side of the stage. I was also grateful that the lights were too bright for her to notice the three men thirty feet away from her that were all but drooling as she waited patiently for the music to begin. The sliver of red that had peeked out of the back of her jacket was more visible now and I shifted in my seat at the realization that she was wearing a tightly laced corset beneath her jacket.

I was not the only one that was shocked when the distinctive organ of "The Phantom of the Opera" began to pour from the speakers that filled the room from all sides. Jasper and Emmett both wore identical expressions of disbelief as we looked at each other in total surprise. Bella, however, didn't flinch from her spot on the stage.

"Do not tell me she can sing this shit," Emmett said mockingly. Boz simply smiled knowingly and nodded his head.

"Holy crap," Jaz agreed in wonder.

"I got two hundred bucks says she can't hit all the notes at the end. She's good and all but there ain't no way she can blow through five octaves. I say two at best," Emmett dared us as Boz's eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline.

"Oh, I'll take that bet," Jaz said gleefully as he reached into his back pocket. "I don't know if she can hit all five but five hundred says she'll do more than two."

Everyone's eyes got impossibly wider as Emmett slapped his money down on the soundboard. Jasper chuckled under his breath as Boz let out a long low whistle and leaned forward into the mic to his left.

"Bells, we've got some serious bets going back here."

I motioned for the mic with a flick of my hand as Bella looked toward the back of the room and smiled.

"Hey Baby," I purred into the mic as quietly as possible. Her face absolutely lit up as my voice registered in her ear, sending waves of happiness coursing through my body. Her accompanying smile was devastatingly beautiful as she squinted her eyes toward me in her attempt to see through the harsh lighting that veiled the room from her. "Your brothers don't seem to have a lot of faith in your operatic skills. Make liars out of them." I turned my head to look at them as I placed my own bet. "I've got a grand that says she hits all five without breaking a sweat."

It only took a few heartbeats for them to take me up on my offer and it only took that long for them to give in because they were floundering at my characterization of their bets. Jasper especially seemed bothered by any insinuation that he had anything less than absolute faith in her abilities. As she began to sing the first verse, the board was quickly filled with cash and we were all watching with absolute attention. Her voice was magnificent. She sang the ridiculously hard song with no more effort than humming in the shower. The haunting melody of the song filled the room with an ethereal quality that was both alluring and slightly unsettling as her voice climbed higher and more powerfully with each note.

But the trance her voice had cast over the room at large was abruptly broken as the resident idiot and all around raving lunatic known as JP leapt onto the stage to sing the second verse. Dressed in long board shorts and one of his ever present vintage tee shirts with combat boots and an open flannel shirt, he had secured a bright, almost neon, blue sleeping mask over his eyes. The contrast of the color against his pale skin and long dark dreadlocks was startling. Add to that the long towel had had tied around his neck like a cape and the overly exaggerated motions of his hands and the spectacle he created was just down right bizarre. Most disturbingly though, was that his voice was flawless. The sheer power that emanated from him was amazing. He preened and posed and flailed around on the stage in his typically over-the-top manner, eliciting deep guttural laugh from all of us tucked beneath the runway at the sound board.

"He is an absolute fucking fool," Emmett snorted as JP hit a note much higher than I would have ever thought him capable of.

"Bells, move to mic 2," Boz said softly into the mic as the music gave the two vocalists a small break. She nodded her head and then stepped into the middle of the stage. JP made a spectacle of himself as he twirled around her, his hands moving spastically around as if he were somehow creating an invisible web.

"I missed you today," I said into the tiny earpiece. "You look incredible by the way."

She flashed another of her blazing smiles to me just as JP returned to his mic and the third verse of the song began. The two of them sang together in a perfect compliment to each other. It was a stark reminder of just how well their voices blended, regardless of the type of music they performed. Each note took them higher and more forcefully toward the song's climax. I knew the piece well and was on the edge of my seat to watch as her voice hit the staggering heights the song called for. I also shook with quiet laughter as she joined him in his "acting".

The brief interlude that would usher in the climax we all waited for began and I looked into the excited faces of my brothers. They smirked at me as I looked back at the stage just in time to see Bella adjust her footing and steel her shoulders at the mic. I knew as she closed her eyes and took several very deep breaths that she was going to hit every single note.

"You're not worried about this, are you," I asked into the mic. She gave me a wicked smile and nodded her head very slightly. With a smile I couldn't contain, I turned to face Emmett and asked in my best smart assed voice "You can count the progression, can't you?" His only response was to flip his middle finger at me but when he turned back toward the stage he was filled with wonder and anticipation.

She slaughtered the first two octaves in a single breath. The low "fuck" that Emmett muttered as awareness of the power of her voice washed over him was hysterical. But she barely took a breath before she pushed her voice into the third octave. Dimitri let out a howl from his stool on the side of the stage as she took another breath. When she opened her mouth again, she went immediately into the third octave she'd just abandoned for a single run and then pushed effortlessly into the fourth. Even JP's insane antics as he continually screamed for her to sing in the Phantom's voice couldn't distract anyone from the monumental feat we were all watching. She held the fourth octave note once again and I saw Emmett shift in his seat.

"She's stuck. She can't push to the fifth," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

I looked intensely into her face. She took a quick breath and I saw her eyes narrow in concentration. Her chest flushed that beautiful shade of pink that drove me wild and she gripped the mic stand tightly with her left hand.

"She's got it," I whispered. I held my breath as the music hit its crescendo and she let loose a note that could literally have shattered glass. The sound hung in the air like mist as it reverberated around the cavernous room. As soon as her mouth closed the roar of appreciative applause rang out as every member of the crew, the journalists that had begun to assemble on the left side of the stage and the musicians on stage all cheered loudly for her success. I could have burst with pride as I watched her flush with excitement and embarrassment over the attention she garnered.

"That's my girl," I said insufferably smugly as I reached for the stacks of bills in front of us. Emmett and Jasper were so blown away by her abilities that they didn't even protest or whine about losing the bet. I leaned forward into the mic just as her eyes searched once again to bring me into focus through the distance and harsh lights. "You. Are. Simply. Amazing."

She ducked her head as the blush crept its way up her long neck. She mouthed a silent "I love you" in my direction as JP wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and swung her around into the arms of the waiting musicians behind her. Her startled laugh was music to my ears. Until of course I caught the tail end of the conversation from the right side of the audience.

"…she sang for me a couple of times. I knew she was that good," Newton's lying pathetic voice broke into my concentration and instantly ignited my anger. Yorkie and Crowley were lapping up his inane comments like it was the gospel and I wanted to fucking strangle him on principle alone. His next comment though tested my patience almost to the limit and made the decision for me as to whether or not to "play nice." No fucking way. "She was very comfortable around me. Especially after Cullen left." It did not escape my attention that he sneered my name as his lie grew larger and larger.

"Emmett? Don't you want to go say hello to our old friends?" I knew that my eyes were probably dark with anger as Newton continued to tell his friend of his so called relationship with Bella. Their thoughts told me that they knew he was exaggerating but they made no attempt at calling him out on it.

"I thought you'd never ask." My hulking brother rose silently with a truly bastardly glint in his eyes and began to weave his way toward the narrow stairs that led to the floor of the auditorium. Jasper hopped up and followed without even looking back at me. I smirked as I watched them stalk silently up the rows of chairs toward the three unsuspecting men, not even trying to stifle the laugh that bubbled in my throat.

"Friends of yours?" Boz asked. He knew, simply by my posture, that we did know them but wouldn't exactly call them friends.

"Sort of. The doughboy with the blond hair had, has, a thing for Bella. And he is currently explaining to his buddies what his 'relationship' with Bella was like. She was always too nice to tell him to fuck off but I have no such qualms."

Boz laughed darkly as he stood up to watch my brothers. The band was huddled around the drum kit at the back of the stage and I was very glad that her attention was otherwise diverted. I didn't think she would be angry per say but I knew she wouldn't exactly approve of our taunting. The silence as they went over the new set list for the night also afforded Boz the opportunity to hear the conversation that was seconds away from taking place.

"Well, goodness gracious. Look who we have here," Emmett said in the fakest friendly voice I'd ever heard. All three of them swiveled in their chairs to stare into the admittedly frightening face of my brothers, both of which smiled in what was more aptly characterized as a leer.

"_Jesus! They're still creepy as hell."_

"_Oh, crap. They scared the shit out of me."_

"_Shit! Why in the hell are they here?"_

The thoughts of the morons were enough to make me giggle like a little girl. Boz stared wide eyed at me for a second before he joined in, the looks on their faces priceless.

"Emmett. Jasper. Good to see you guys," Eric bravely said as he rose to his feet and offered his hand. They both grasped his hand a little harder than they normally would have, making his eyes go wide both at the shock of their skin temperature and the pain that radiated down into his wrist. Tyler rose and quickly mimicked the actions with the same part uncomfortable part scared shitless expression on his face.

Mike simply stared like he'd just seen a ghost. Or a vampire.

"What are you guys doing here," Mike blurted out in a somewhat harsh tone of voice. Jasper could barely restrain himself from snickering at the blatant irritation in his voice. It also did not escape anyone's notice that he did not offer his hand to either of them as sat down in the seats directly in front of them and twisted their upper bodies so that they were could continue their conversation, not an easy thing to do in Emmett's case.

"Oh, same as you guys I guess. Just coming to see an old friend. Its kind of unbelievable to think that's the shy Bella from high school," Jasper answered in an almost bored tone of voice.

"Yeah, it really is," Tyler said a bit dreamily for my taste. "She looks great. So much better than the last time I saw her at Charlie's funeral."

That stung. I hadn't even thought about the fact that all three of them had most likely been at the funeral. And I hadn't. My hostility toward them waned a bit as I thought of the fact that even being douche bags that wanted into her pants, these guys had been there as her friends during the darkest part of her life. I couldn't hold on to the snideness that had permeated my thoughts as I thought of them offering her even the smallest measure of comfort during that time.

Well, I could hold onto it for Newton, once he opened his mouth.

"Is…you know, did Edward? I mean is Edward here too?" Of course he would want to know if I was here. My presence, even not knowing the situation, would royally screw up his plans to finally make his move, as he'd so eloquently bragged about this morning.

"He's meeting us here," Emmett responded with the same evil glare that he'd worn as he'd stalked up behind them.

"Oh," was the brilliant response he came up with as he looked toward the stage. His thoughts were raging as he stared unabashedly at her ass. He still loathed the thought of me. The idea made me a little more than happy as I rose from my own chair.

"That's my cue," I said to Boz as he laughed. I walked quickly toward the same stairs that I'd watched my brothers climb just minutes before. They were making the most stunted polite chatter I'd ever heard as I moved silently toward them. Jasper's eyes lit up with a spiteful fire as he spied me over the shoulders of the guys in front of him.

"Well, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," he twanged with way too much glee in his voice.

"We could just call this a regular high school reunion," Emmett snarked as Mike's heart rate sped up. He could hear it as well as I could and laughed loudly at Mike's discomfort. "All we need is Angela and Ben, Jessica and a few others…" he trailed off; too delighted in the awkwardness we were creating to continue.

"They'll actually be here tonight. We just wanted to come by and say hello," Eric answered slightly bashfully.

I greeted each of them as politely as I could, considering I felt like the cat that had just swallowed the canary. When Mike rose from his chair to shake my hand, his thoughts were simply vicious. His eyes cut to Bella on stage before back to me as he stumbled over his words.

"Have you seen her?" he asked clumsily. His sweaty palms gave away his absolute terror at the thought that I had already seen her before he had the chance to charm her.

"No, not this afternoon," I answered honestly. Jasper and Emmett tried, and failed, to quietly laugh at my response.

"Can I ask what you're doing here?" Mike said territorially. "I didn't think you guys split on such good terms." I had to admire his pluck, a little. He was petrified of me and nervous about seeing Bella but was still somewhat protective of her.

"Don't worry Mike. I'm meeting my wife here. I promise I'm not here to upset her."

I let the statement hang in the air for just a moment before I became aware of the laughter coming from the sound board. Boz had overheard the conversations and was delighted in the scene unfurling before him. I nearly bit my tongue off trying not to laugh when the hulking man spoke softly toward our conversation.

"Dude, you are so going to owe me for this." In the next breath, he spoke into the mic that was connected to speakers that lined the stage rather than the small ear piece. "Bells, we need to do a spotlight check for the new marks. You ready?"

She whipped her head around and squinted towards the back of the room with a wary expression on her face. As she stared silently, Dimitri and JP both hooted their approval at the suggestion, leaving me wondering what he had up his sleeve.

"Fine," she huffed out as she set down the papers in her hands. JP was literally bouncing on the balls of his feet. A loud gong rang through the speakers as Boz's music of choice rang out through the room. Bella immediately flushed a deeper shade of red than I'd seen her turn in a long time and her breath caught in her chest.

"Oh, shit!" she squeaked out as the bass of the song began. I recognized it as a song we'd heard at the club in Texas and a wide smile spread across my face. "He's **not** letting you do this to me?"

"What makes you think he didn't pay me to do this Bella?" Boz retorted into the earpiece as the suggestive song continued.

Her eyes flashed with amazement before narrowing in an incredibly seductive way. As the lyrics of the song began, she sinuously made her way back and forth across the stage, pausing for a few moments at Boz's instructions. I knew from my time on stage that there were places all over the large stage and the runways that were marked with tape for her to pause at for the most effective lighting and he was quietly talking into her earpiece the instructions for where to hold still and when to move on to the next one.

I forgot everything as I watched her climb the stairs to the right tower with excruciatingly erotic sways of her hips. I forgot to be irritated with the guys sitting a foot in front of me, the dozens of crew members that had once again paused in their work to watch and the fact that my own father was somewhere very near and probably watching as my wife effectively slinked around the room. I even forgot to be embarrassed by the raging hard on I now sported.

I stood mesmerized by her movements as she slowly made her way around the upper deck of the room. I didn't even care that every man in the room was getting to watch her sway and writhe in the most painfully seductive manner. I was almost bursting with the knowledge that while she may be visible to everyone in the room, she was putting on her display for me and me alone. When she got to the center tower, she turned her back to the stage. As her hips rolled in very slow circles, she arched her back and let the tightly fitted jacket slide from her shoulders and down her arms until it pooled in the floor at her feet. With an exquisite slowness, she ran her hands up the sides of her body and neck. She lifted the gorgeous hair that cascaded down to her butt exposing the tattoo at the base of her spine. Her pants were so low on her hips that nearly the entire mark was visible in the gap of skin between her corset and the leather that hid her perfect bitable ass.

I couldn't stifle the groan that tore its way from my chest. And neither could Newton. It was only his twin sound and the ensuing chuckle from my brothers that pulled me from the deviant fantasies that were rapidly filling my mind. I looked down into the embarrassed face of Mike just as Bella began to finish her lap around the room. He looked somewhat ashamed of his behavior while at the same time questioned my own in his thoughts. With every step, her smirk increased even though she clearly couldn't see into the audience to locate my exact position. I was sure I was staring at her intensely enough for her to feel my eyes as they greedily claimed her body.

Mercifully, the song came to a close. Who the fuck knew if the spotlight check had been successful. And based off the screaming thoughts of almost every male in the room…who the fuck cared. She had clearly enjoyed taunting me as she stepped to the center mic, patently ignoring JP as he waved a twenty towards her and Dimitri as he mock bowed at her side.

"Can we actually play something now?" she asked very innocently, as if she didn't realize she had just caused half the people in the room to sport nuclear hard ons.

The crew slowly returned to their tasks and the guys in the seats beside me all shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they tried to discreetly adjust themselves. The band conferred for just a moment before they all resumed their places on the stage. Dimitri and JP both picked up their guitars and hurriedly slung them over their shoulders in almost choreographed time with Felix and Jane resuming their stations.

"We need to stage 'Away From Me' Bells. You up to it?" JP asked in the professional tone that he rarely used outside of the stage. She nodded her head and then focused on the mic in front of her. Jane counted down a short intro before she began the dreamlike intro to the song. It took a few seconds as Felix joined it with a steady bluesy beat before I recognized the song.

"Shit," I muttered low enough so that only Jaz and Em could hear me.

**I hold my breath**

**As midnight**

**Starts to take its toll**

**I hide behind the smile**

**As this perfect plan unfolds**

Her voice rang out with the comfort of a thousand gossamer ribbons. She was perfect as the performer took over, intent on the newest of their songs. It was the song that I'd been privileged enough to witness in its creation on the bus several weeks ago. In all that had transpired in the short time frame, I'd nearly forgotten about the song that we'd watched the band write on the bus between Florida and Texas. But she hadn't. She sang and they played as if it had been on the roster for years.

Almost without looking at each other, their bodies began to thrash as she sang the chorus. I recalled the afternoon in Texas as Jasper and I had looked over the preliminary information regarding Sebastian as I'd listened to her mumble the lyrics to the song in the shower. I'd been so wrapped up in the data in front of me that I'd not really paid attention to the actual words that flowed from her mouth. But standing still as a statue I really listened to the words as she belted them out.

**I've woken now**

**To find myself**

**In the shadows of all I have created**

**I'm longing to **

**Be lost in you**

**Away from this mess I've made**

**Won't you take me away from me**

There was sadness in every word that pierced me. This song was brand spanking new and yet it was tinged with regret. Like all her songs, the poignancy of the words was staggering. But there was something that wasn't usually present in her songs as well. Confusion. This song was about wanting out. I nearly lost my balance as I realized that she was writing about leaving the band. Leaving her life. Only ten days after she'd married me she was writing about how to leave behind her life and the people in it.

Christ, she was unbelievable.

The song had the same hard edge guitars and the flowing soft piano that defined EverClear. I noticed as the chorus finished and Jane played a very distinctive piano line that Bella's eyes flashed toward her. She was clearly dying to play. As she finished the chorus, she began her trek up the tributary walkways around the room. It was effortless. She glided with raw force around the room, drawing everyone in to her world of imagery and emotion. I could hear the crowd outside chanting the band's name over and over as they listened to the song. As the second verse shattered the room, the guys in the band sang a unique harmony to her voice that added to the emotions of the song.

She stepped onto the center platform and the song took a sharp turn in direction. The guitars ceased briefly and the only thing that filled the air was her beautiful voice.

**Lost in a dying world**

**I reach for something more**

**I have grown so weary of this life I live**

"Lord God, she's amazing," Jaz said as we all followed her circuit around the left side of the room. When she reached the top left platform, she wailed the chorus again. She was walking back down the stairs toward the stage to finish the song when Newton had to ruin spell she'd cast with his stupid babbling.

"I've got that song on my Iphone," he said, obviously trying to impress us all with his EverClear knowledge. "It's always been one of my favorites."

"That's unfuckinglikely," Emmett said caustically. Her guardian was out in full force as he stared hard into the muted green eyes of my would- be rival for her affections. I was chomping at the bit to squash his plans into the ground and was on the verge of doing just that when Bella's voice broke through my haze.

The song had all but ended and Jane was playing an odd techno beat to finish it out. Felix kept a light rhythm to her playing but stopped as Bella spoke into the mic, her back facing the floor of the room.

"Janie, keep going," she said as her chest heaved from her voyage around the room. Her posture tightened minutely and then she shocked everyone in the room by stalking to the piano in front of her and flipping the lid to the keys almost violently.

"What is she doing?" Jaz said with concern laced into the tenor of his voice.

She answered him. Her hands came down hard on the keys in a shockingly forceful manner. The notes she played were complicated. It was a perfect mix of a jazz standard song with an almost classical basis. JP stood in awed stillness for just a moment before he grinned like a madman. Dimitri let out another howl of pleasure as he tapped out the rhythm she was beating out on the piano.

She stopped briefly to make sure that everyone had the feel of the song and then in a whirl of sound, they **all **joined in. It was fucking staggering how well they knew each other. I was positive as I watched each of them play that this was absolute improv on their parts. They had never rehearsed the song, never even talked about it. But they played in perfect compliment to each other.

And they were having a ball doing it.

Each of them smiled and moved their bodies and slung their heads around. JP looked like a kid in a candy shop as he played. Felix and Jane both grinned like crazy as they looked to each other with every progression. But Bella, dear God, Bella looked breath-taking. She was completely engrossed in the keys in front of her. She was flushed and sweating and radiant as she played her beloved instrument. And make no mistake; she was playing the hell out of the ivory keys in front of her.

"Damn, man. She's gonna hurt herself," Em said even as he bobbed his head to the addictive sounds issuing like a tidal wave from the stage. I could hear the pride in his voice as he watched her.

I couldn't stay away any longer. I could hear the progression of the song was coming to a close so I looked down into the eager faces of Eric, Tyler and Mike. They didn't realize just how astounding a thing they were watching but they were clearly enjoying what they heard.

"Gentleman, I hope I'll see you tonight at the show. But if you will excuse me, I need to go greet my wife," I said as I walked between the rows of seats and toward the side of the stage. I shot toward the metal gate at the front of the stage that was designed to keep the crowd somewhat contained with a nod toward Alec. He pulled the gate away that would allow me to climb the stairs on the side of the stage.

The thoughts of the Fork crew were stuttering in their shock as I walked up the metal stairs and onto the stage without pause. The song had all but finished when she saw me making my way toward her. She rose from her place at the bench and shot toward me as I opened my arms to her. In a stroke of musical genius, Boz added a sharp clap of thunder to the very end of the song that drove home its intensity. Just as the sound rang out, Bella jumped against my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her a foot off the ground with one arm around her waist and fisted my other hand into her hair, pulling her to my mouth.

Our kiss was as intense as the song she'd played. Both of us battling to get closer and deeper into the other. The screaming shocked thoughts of the guys in the audience only added to the pleasure of having her claim me and of claiming her for myself. She pulled away, slightly out of breath, her eyes blazing with pure joy.

"I missed you today," she said softly as she wound her legs around my waist. Quite intentionally, and childishly, I cupped her ass with both hands to hold her up against my chest as I walked toward JP. I only let my grip loose long enough to reciprocate the fist bump he offered me in greeting. I couldn't help but twist the knife in Newton's back a little more as I turned toward the mic with Bella still wrapped firmly around me.

"Mike, I'd like you to meet my wife. Bella **Cullen."**

She looked at me curiously as I walked into the shadows of the backstage area without another glance at her suitor, my brothers howling laughter echoing from every corner of the room as they finally gave into their need to explode.

"You have some explaining to do," she said knowingly as walked quickly toward the dressing room down the narrow hallway. She realized where I was headed and her eyes grew dark. I leaned into her neck and sucked gently at the soft skin behind her ear as I turned us toward the first open door I could find. She bit her bottom lip for just a second before she breathed out a sultry "later" and slid her tongue into my mouth just as I closed the door behind us.

**Chapter Notes: Okay, so here's the deal. I got sidetracked when I started this chapter with an outtake of sorts. It turned into 7500 words of the dirtiest lemoniest chapter I've ever written. If and when we can hit 1000 reviews, I'll post it for you. Yes, its blatant bribery and no, I'm not above that. Let me give you a little hint. This chapter starts out with E, B & JP wrapped around each other. Does that tell you where the outtake goes. We have more than enough readers, hell we have more than enough people with the story on alert to hit the mark. So if you want it, hit the button.**


	27. Chapter 27The Last First Set

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you already knew that.**

**Sorry guys. I had intended to get this out to you two days ago. But a rough editing process and a small bout of food poisoning knocked me on my butt.**

**You guys did pretty well with the reviews last chap but I know you can do better. Remember, 1000 reviews and you get the Outtake.**

**Playlist:**

**Haunted-Evanescence**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**Everybody's Fool-Evanescence**

**If you really want to get a feel for the show, listen to the version of the songs from Anywhere But Home. It's a live album that will give you a great feel for the intensity.**

Chapter 27- Last First Set

"Bella, please open the door," I begged for the tenth time. Nothing, except of course the muted snickers from the other side of the door. "Please, baby. Let me in."

Silence.

Logically, I knew that she wasn't angry with me but that did little to calm my nerves as she continued to stonewall me. I had told her exactly what I had done with Mike and the others and although she thought I had been a bit of an ass, she wasn't irate. Of course, I had given her all the details while we enjoyed a bit of "private time" in her dressing room, so I hadn't been exactly fair in my delivery of those details…but still, I had told her. She **had** insisted that I "make things right" as she put it by inviting the three of them, as well as anyone else from Forks, to sit in the private box that had been arranged for our family. My dear sister, evil little fairy that she was had taken it a step farther and suggested that we invite them all backstage for dinner before the show. This particular plan fucking sucked for two reasons. One, while we entertained the guests, Bella would need to get dressed for the concert and therefore would not be present and two, it meant that I would have to listen to the mindless drivel of them all as they feasted and plied themselves with alcohol. Just how I wanted to spend my evening.

I leaned my forehead against the door and rapped my knuckles in a final effort to persuade someone inside to open the damn door. I just wanted to see her for a minute before the show. She was equal parts excited and nervous about playing such a large venue and I wanted to make sure she was okay. But Chip and my sister could give lessons to the Gestapo on alienation. They had resolutely refused to allow me anywhere near her since we'd returned from the press conference.

Jesus, the press. They had inundated Bella with question after question about Sebastian. What exactly was their relationship? What had actually happened in that warehouse? Would she be part of the trial? On and on it went ad nauseum until I finally put a stop to that particular line of questioning. She, of course, held up like a trooper. She answered honestly, if a bit evasively, and spoke with eloquence. But her hands shook under the table and her body temperature rose with every question. I had finally had enough of the invasive questions and told the room at large that they were free to ask her anything they wanted about the music, the album, the tour or anything else they felt the need to dissect but that Sebastian was off the table.

This was perhaps the biggest night of her professional life and I was simply not going to let them take that away from her by forcing her to relive one of the worst nights of her life. She was on top of the world and I would not, could not, allow them to take it from her. She had squeezed my hand gratefully and given me a shy smile as the questions were reigned in to more appropriate topics. An hour later, when the journalists had finally gotten their fill of her, we had left the uncomfortably hot room and headed for the dressing room. We were four steps away from escaping into our own little world for a few minutes when she had been commandeered by the fashion police that currently held her hostage.

"Just one kiss, Baby and I promise I'll go entertain the nerd herd."

I thought for a brief second that I was finally going to be allowed access to her when I heard footsteps crossing the room and her brilliant laughter muffled behind the door. I straightened up, prepared to grab her around the waist the moment the door opened. So when Alice appeared before me and slammed the door shut before I could catch a single glimpse of her, I was both disappointed and furious.

"Damn it Edward, you sound like a petulant child out here. Why don't you just stomp your feet and demand another cookie," she growled at me.

"If you'd just let me see her, I wouldn't have to whine, now would I?"

"Ow, fuck." It was very distinctly Bella's voice from somewhere inside the dressing room. I looked to Alice with a worried expression, only to be met with her mouth turned up into a smirk.

"Are you still torturing Eddie?" Jasper asked as he rounded the corner and walked down the bright hallway towards us. The smile on his face was calculating, as if he knew I was fighting an uphill battle but wanted to watch me attempt it anyway. As he reached our face off, he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

"See, that's all I want to do to Bella. Is that too much to ask?" Even to myself, I sounded like a spoiled brat.

"Ouch, shit! What are you doing to it?" Bella called out again, louder and with more force.

"Okay, Alice, what the fuck is going on inside that room that is warranting my wife screaming in pain?"

"Psh, please. You are such a drama queen Edward. She is not screaming in pain, she's perfectly…."

"Mother fucker! Are you trying to kill my pussy?" This actually was a scream. I was seconds away from breaking down the door when Alice and Jasper both began to laugh at her outburst.

"Did you know your eyes go dark when she says anything remotely dirty?" Jasper snickered beside me. "It's kind of funny."

"I'm glad I amuse you, now what the hell is going on?" I glared at Alice as menacingly as I was capable of, which admittedly wasn't very ferociously when it came to my favorite sister.

"Relax, Chip is just waxing her," she said through her laughter. She cocked her eyebrow at me as I put two and two together.

"Fuck me," I groaned as I fell back against the white cinderblock of the hallway and ran my hands through my hair. I closed my eyes as the images from the other side of the door filled my head. "You're telling me that my wife is naked on the other side of that door while Chip waxes her…wait a fucking minute," I said as I snapped my attention back to Alice. "What the hell is she wearing that requires him to wax her crotch?"

"Wax her crotch? Well that sounds like a party in the making," Emmett boomed as he too rounded the corner. He strode over to where we stood, Alice and Jasper still laughing at my expense, and leaned against the wall beside me.

"Just know that Chip and I had you in mind specifically when we put this little number together. Trust me, you will appreciate our efforts. Now will you stop making a pest of yourself and go down the hallway. I promise I will let you see her **briefly** before she goes on stage.

"Why won't she say anything to me when I call out to her?" I bitched, trying to procrastinate leaving her.

"Idiot, she can't hear you. Chip put her ear buds in before he started. You know, music soothes the savage beast and all. She doesn't even know you're out here. Now march. All of you."

I turned to look at Jasper, who was clearly amused at the entire conversation.

"Do you know that your wife can be insufferable sometimes?" He opened his mouth to respond but another loud yell from behind the door stopped him.

"Jesus Chip! The kitty is bald, will you stop?" she huffed out again, sending my brain into overdrive while sending my siblings into hysterics.

"Edward, I think we need to get you out of here pronto," Alice cackled as she took in my now obvious hard on. "Give me a sec and I'll go with you guys to the high school reunion."

She disappeared in the blink of an eye back into the dressing room. With a quick explanation of where she was going to Chip and a loud smacking kiss on what I presume was Bella's cheek, she returned looking smug as shit. Without so much as a word, she grasped Jasper's hand and drug him back down the corridor toward the voices of the classmates that I, quite frankly, had rather hoped to never hear again.

We rounded the corner to find a peculiar sight waiting for us. It was almost as if the cafeteria at Forks High School had recreated itself in the belly of the auditorium. The large room was painted in a bright white color that stood in direct contrast to the dark fabrics of the multiple couches and chairs that were grouped around the room. In the center, a long table had been laid out with a multitude of different types of food. The smells mingled together into an unrecognizably foul stench. The people that were seated in the small conversation areas were alternately picking at the food on their plates and casting their eyes around at each other nervously. And in the center of the group seated on a loveseat were my parents. Ever the perfect hosts, they were the only ones among the dozen bodies that seemed even remotely relaxed or comfortable.

Mike, Eric and Tyler sat in a row beside them, talking animatedly about the sound check from earlier this afternoon. I noticed, just as Alice snickered, that Mike's plate was by far the most loaded down. Directly across from Esme sat Jessica Stanley in all her frizzy headed glory, looking like she was trying desperately to play it cool in her surroundings. To her right was Lauren Mallory. I remembered her name only because of the horrific scenes that played out in her head for more than a year. I shivered involuntarily as I thought of some of the more graphic positions she'd imagined me in and vowed to stay as far away from her as possible in order to avoid any repeat performances.

Seated off to the left side of the largest group were the two people that I was actually glad to see. Ben and Angela, both Webbers now, were quietly taking in the acts that their former classmates were putting on for each other. Even if I'd not seen the rings on their fingers, their body language would have told me that they were married. They leaned into each other with every action and every movement they made. When they spoke, their heads tilted toward each other and their mouths were constantly turned up in warm smiles that were only for each other. It reminded me very much of watching my parents interacted with each other and I was surprised at the affection that coursed through me.

"Edward?" Angela's soft voice called as I stared at them from the doorway. As she spoke my name, all the heads spun forcefully around to stare at me. I ignored them all and smiled as warmly as I could as I crossed the room toward the happy couple, Alice right on my heels.

"Angela. Ben," I nodded as I sat down beside them. "It's good to see the two of you."

The conversation flowed easily with them. They had always been unobtrusive genuinely good people, even for teenagers, and the same was true for the adult versions. At times it was difficult to ignore the thoughts of the group behind us, whether it was Newton and his nearly obsessive rants against me or Lauren and her grotesque fantasies. But I focused all my efforts on the Webbers. As we spoke, I caught glimpses of their time with Bella her last year in Forks. The images were familiar even if the scenarios were not. In each image, her eyes looked blank and hollow. But their thoughts were empathetic. They had truly worried about her and tried to ease her situation with even the smallest gestures.

I was truly enjoying my time with them when the comfortable swell of relaxed conversation was broken by an all too familiar voice ringing through the cavernous room.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here Eddie?" JP bellowed across the room. "Doesn't this look all nice and cozy?"

I groaned softly as I leaned toward the visibly stunned couple. I understood the shock that shot through them both as they took in his lanky frame standing in the doorway. JP was decked out in his full rock star attire. Tight black leather pants and combat boots under sleeveless black shirt and black leather jacket. The piercings and tattoos that I had become strangely accustomed to were an extreme departure for what they were used to. The waist length dreadlocks did nothing to ease their anxiety at his appearance, nor did the devious grin on his face. On the plus side, the hideous thoughts that had looped through Lauren's mind since the moment I'd walked into the room were suddenly focused on him.

"I promise, he's not nearly as bad as he looks," I stage whispered into Angela's ear. "I'd like you to meet JP. Resident lunatic, co-founder of EverClear and pretty good guy, despite his appearance. I'll warn you, he'll say anything that pops into his dirty mind but he's been a good friend to all of us."

They both relaxed at the genuine smile that spread across his face at my words. He crossed the room in three long strides and shook hands with both of them. He settled in beside me and I noticed he wore the cuff I'd placed on his wrist earlier in the day. He caught me looking and nudged my shoulder with a sheepish expression.

"You've got to change Edward. Chip'll have your ass."

"I know but I'm hoping by not being dressed yet he'll let me in to see Bella. He and Ali locked me out right after the press conference."

"Dude, you don't know Chip very well. That won't do anything except piss him off. Besides, he put your shit in my dressing room, not hers," he laughed. He caught Esme looking at him sweetly and excused himself with a nod. His burly voice screamed "Mom!" as he crossed to her and flung his arms around her and Carlisle.

I laughed as Marcus' voice called out in the hallway the ten minute warning. JP was clearly in his element and I could imagine that the rest of the band was in a similar frame of mind. Angela and Ben both rose to their feet as did the rest of the group. Alice and Jasper had disappeared from the room while I'd been talking and I didn't want to think about what they could be doing. I turned to head toward the door when Angela caught my hand.

"Edward, I can't tell you how glad I am that you two found your way back to each other. I always knew you were meant to be together."

"Thank you Angela. Thank you for being so good to her when I wasn't. You were always a good friend to her, both of you. Listen, I hate to be rude but if I don't get dressed, I am going to have to face some very irritated people."

"Of course. Please tell Bella that we can't wait to see her."

"I will. I'll see you in just a few minutes." I left the green room without a word to anyone else. I was absolutely intent on seeing my wife before she went on stage and nothing was going to stand in my way. I hurried down the corridor as quickly as I could and still maintain a human speed. Three steps away from the door when it swung open and Chip stepped out. He took one look at me and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"You would think I was a herd of charging elephants keeping you from your princess. Go on in Pretty Boy but you only have eight minutes and don't you dare screw up her makeup. And you still have to get your ass dressed," he threatened with a wag of his finger.

I must have smiled stupidly because with a huff of his silk clad chest he opened the door. I took a step into the room and lost the ability to move as my eyes found my wife. Bella was always beautiful, whether she was fresh out of the bed and tousled or dressed in an evening gown and jewels. But I had never seen her look as utterly magnificent as she did as her gaze found mine in the mirror she stood before.

"Jesus," I gasped as I tried to take in every detail of her appearance. There was nothing about any part of her that was not utter perfection. Chip had pulled her hair back in the front and sides but gathered it so that fell in waves around her face like a silken veil. Her makeup was heavier than normal but it was done in sultry shades of gray around her eyes, giving her a very smoky seductive appearance. Her full lips were deep crimson and stood out in dramatic contrast to her pale skin. The coat she wore looked like it was from another time. The deep red crushed velvet of the bodice was cut to absolute precision for her tiny frame. The wide collar stood up against her long neck, bringing to mine the formal capes of centuries ago. Where it was gathered at her waist the fabric seamlessly transformed into supple leather that flowed almost like satin to her ankles. The cut of the exquisite fabric and the hip high slits on either side would allow her to move freely while still maintaining the allure of the miles long legs that were beneath. On her feet were stilettos that added at least five inches to her height and fastened around her ankles with a wide strap.

I couldn't even imagine what might lie beneath the jacket if she looked so utterly stunning covered from her shoulders to her ankles.

"Would you do the honors," she asked with a smile as she took in my expression. She raised her hands slightly in front of her and motioned to the choker in her hand. Her crest was bound to an inch wide piece of the same velvet that covered her torso.

I crossed to her, still unable to take a breath as I stared at her. Our eyes locked in the mirror in front of her for a moment before I leaned in and pressed my lips against her juncture of her neck and shoulders. The unparalleled scent of her filled my senses as I wound my arms around her waist and pulled her against me. I slowly worked my way up her neck toward her ear with slow nibbling kisses, tasting her on my tongue with each gesture. Her eyes closed as she leaned her head back against my shoulder and reached her right arm up to grip my neck, bringing me closer to her still.

"I cannot imagine any woman in history looking more beautiful than you do," I said in the deep needy voice that was generally reserved for our bedroom.

"Why thank you Mr. Cullen," she said with a small sigh. She turned her head toward my increasingly needy ministrations as I reached her earlobe. I pulled the soft flesh between my lips and sucked with the smallest amount of pressure I could manage given her sinful appearance.

"Not to sound unappreciative but what's the occasion?" I could hardly think as I continued to kiss and lap at the skin on the nape of her neck.

"It's a homecoming and a goodbye all I in one performance. I told Chip he had to do his best."

I pulled at the tie around her waist gently, hoping to catch a glimpse of what lie underneath the garment that was tormenting me in its beauty.

"Oh no you don't. I want to see your face during 'Last Breath'," she teased as she turned in my arms and handed me the crest. I laced it around her neck quickly so as not to loose a second of time that I might be able to touch her before I had to share her with the thousands of people outside that were chanting the band's name over and over.

"I'm not sure I want to let you out of this room looking so fucking gorgeous."

"Oh, God. I love it when you cuss," she laughed as a knock on the door alerted us that we had five minutes before she needed to take the stage.

I kissed her as lightly as possible before I took her hand and lead her to the door. We stepped into the hallway to find Chip and Alice waiting for us, identical looks on their faces. Both were scanning her appearance for any imperfections I'd caused.

"She looks perfect guys, relax."

"Get your bony ass in there and change Edward! You don't have any more time to screw around," Alice commanded.

Reluctantly, I raced down the hallway and ducked into the smaller dressing room on the right side of the hallway. In seconds, I'd shed my clothing and donned the leather pants and much too tight black tee shirt that had been laid out for me. Lying on the chair was a long black leather duster that I threw over my arm in my haste to return to her. I reappeared in the hallway just as the three of them reached the door. I slipped my arm around her waist just as she reached for me. Quietly, I led her to the other four musicians as they stood in a huddle at the edge of the stage taking in the enormity of the noise level in the room.

"Damn, Bitch. Looking hot tonight," JP said appreciatively.

With a hug to both Alice and Chip, she turned to face the band. The anticipation in the air was almost physical as they prepared to greet the mass of people waiting for them. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist one last time as Alice tugged on my arm, letting me know it was time to join the others in the box high above the stage. Just as I stepped away from her, she called out to me.

"Edward!"

"Yes, love?"

"I hope you like the first set. I love you," she said with a gleam in her eye. She turned her back and grasp hands with the two men surrounding her as I followed my sister and Chip around the back of the stage.

"I love you too, baby. I'll see you during the break."

"What is that about?" I asked as we circled around the huge stack of speakers on the left of the stage and began the trek up the stairs to meet the rest of our family.

"I don't know," Chip said as he reached the top of the stairs and stood in front of the door. "Edward, put your coat on. Got to look the part, Pretty Boy."

I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous nickname but complied with his wishes. At the top of the stairs, a heavy black door was propped open, awaiting our arrival. I followed behind Chip and Alice as they stepped into the small private room that would afford the best seats in the house for the show tonight.

This room was twice the size of any other box that we'd watched from over the last two months and much more comfortable in its appointments. Several square tables were surrounded by soft padded chair, so much different from the flimsy metal folding chairs we'd become accustomed to. Our perch overlooked the left side of the stage and was situated less than ten feet away from the grand piano on the left tower. Both my family and the people from Forks were already gathered inside, all grouped off and chatting as they waited for the show to start.

I scanned the crowd below and swelled with pride for my wife. Thousands of bodies packed the theater. The noise was immense considering that the show hadn't even started and I could only imagine what it would sound like once the band took the stage. As I looked around, I noticed that several things about the stage set up were different. The runways that Bella used so often were all present but much larger in both their distance around the room and their width. Instead of narrow stair cases leading to the twin towers on the sides of the stage and in the middle, gently sloping ramps had been constructed. On either side of the stage, two large video screens hung suspended from the ceiling, affording the audience members at the rear of the room a close up look at the stage. The stage itself was the standard setup but the lighting caught my eye. I noticed that there were several more white spotlights hanging from the rafters than I was used to.

I didn't have time to ponder it any further before the lights over the crowd went out and the volume of the shouts grew exponentially. I turned my gaze toward the stage, expecting to see them taking the stage as normal. But the sight that greeted me was not the standard arrangement.

At the very back of the stage, four blindingly white spotlights were positioned on the ground. The light from the canisters shot in narrow beams that grew steadily wider as they climbed toward the rafters. It was a stark contrast to the dark blue haze of the rest of the stage. A thick black fog rolled from the rear of the stage just behind the drum kit toward the audience below, giving the stage an eerie look.

Just seconds after the white beams opened up, the figures of four of the band members crept quietly onto the stage. As I watched them all take their places on the stage, it occurred to me what I was watching and I gasped louder than I had meant to.

"She's changed it," I mumbled to myself. Only with the five other vampires in the room, it didn't escape notice.

"What do you mean," Jasper asked from behind me.

"She's changed the show," I said with a wide grin. Excitement overtook me as the soft hum of Jane's keyboard rang through the room. It was just like Atlanta. We were on the verge of seeing a show that we had no idea what to expect from. I knew, with absolute certainty, that the lighting wasn't the only thing that she had altered. "We are about to get the show to end all shows."

Another soft beam of white light shown down from above, directly behind Jane as she continued to play. The effect was that her silhouette was visible but nothing more. It was a startling picture from our viewpoint. It occurred to me that this was not their typical opening song and although I thought I knew what it was, at this point anything was possible.

I leaned forward and gripped the railing in front of me just as a soft beat of the drum began. The same silhouetting ray shone from above illuminated Felix's outline. The crowd's response grew in volume yet again. I'd seen crowds react to the shows in what I thought was every conceivable way. But the intensity of the Seattle crowd, whether because it was the hometown audience or the sheer size of the mass, was astonishing.

I looked to Alice, whose eyes were almost wild with exuberance at watching the unfolding surprise. She and Rose were screaming right along with the humans below and Emmett had his fists in the air. Ben and Angela looked almost overwhelmed by the response.

A loud burst of the instruments brought me back to the stage. The first four chords echoed deafeningly through the room and then silenced almost as quickly. This time, JP and Dimitri were also included in the backlighting and the lights pulsed with the beat of the song. As the thunderous notes rang out, the crowd went wild. The screams became roars as they waited to see what was next. Jane's melodic tone continued as the black smoke rolled over the entire stage and drifted softly over the edge of the stage.

The crowd didn't have to wait long before the same four chords echoed out again. Realizing they were seconds away from the start of what some had been waiting for hours to see, the buzz of the audience grew even louder. I was nearly holding my breath waiting to see what my brilliant wife had planned when her voice rang out through the room.

**Long lost words**

**Whispered slowly to me**

**Still can't find what**

**Keeps me here**

A single spotlight shone up from below the center mic but there was no silhouette as the crowd, and I, expected. The effect was unbelievable. The deep slide of her detached voice pushed the crowd into frenzy as they waited for her appearance.

**When all this time**

**I've been so hollow inside**

I still could not make out her shape on the stage but a swirl in the dark mist that poured from the stage indicated movement from the side of the stage. The thoughts of everyone surrounding me, even Chip, were on edge as we all waited to see what she had in store for us.

**I know you're still there**

As soon as the line was delivered the stage went black for a moment. When the chorus began, the lights flooded the stage and the crowd shrieked louder than ever. Standing in the middle of the stage in all her crimson glory was Bella. She had never opened the show with "Haunted" before but the effect was ungodly. I couldn't help it. I responded with the same yell of appreciation and my hands automatically shot into the air as the entire band was revealed. As she sang the chorus, the band played with heavy hands and extraordinary volume. There was a power to her voice that I had never heard as she wailed the song into the night air. With every word, every line, she used her entire body to drive the words further into the frenzied crowd below her.

"Hooollllyyy shit," Emmett yelled above the din of the crowd as he moved to the pounding rhythm of the music.

"Bloody brilliant," Carlisle said in quiet admiration from somewhere to my left, the pride in his voice evident even without having to look at him.

The entire band played the song harder, faster and with more force than I'd ever seen them play anything. Raw. Powerful and infinitely beautiful. They finished the song in a flurry of grinding notes and perfectly synchronized thrashes. Without so much as a breath, Dimitri launched into the opening refrain of "Going Under", much to the pleasure of the crowd.

**Now I will tell you what I've done for you**

**50,000 tears I've cried**

It was strange but no less exhilarating to watch her sing the intro to the song that normally hid her from the audience. The crowd was already so wrapped up in the show that they screamed the line "**Going Under**" so loudly they almost drown out her voice. She smiled brilliantly as they sang with her, causing me to grin in response. As she sang the chorus, she all but growled the words. The effect was beyond erotic. Her voice with the steely edge and the needful lyrics combined with the way she looked was daunting.

It was almost too much to take in. It was like a tidal wave of sensory explosions. The lights above twirled at a dizzying pace, the incredible volume of the band, the rising need of the crowd. But nothing could come close to Bella. As she reached the bridge of the song, she ran toward a small stack of amplifiers on the front right of the stage and leapt with amazing grace onto the top one. Her right foot was braced out like she had just conquered a mountain as she screamed the lyrics into the ravenous crowd.

I looked over my left shoulder to watch the kids from Forks. They were stunned at what they were watching. Obviously, none of them had ever seen her in concert before and it was amusing to watch the stunned disbelief color their features. Their thoughts were a garbled mix of awe, jealousy and sheer lust. Only two minds were distracted enough to be recognizable. Newton was all but stationary as he watched her perform for the crowd. His desire ruled him as he watched her magnificent form move tantalizingly across the room. I understood the turmoil rolling through his mind. He was experiencing exactly what I did in Atlanta in that moment. Pure shock at the intensity of her stage persona.

The other voice that was discernable was Lauren. And quite frankly, I was losing my gentlemanly upbringing with every word that left her mouth. She was whispering a steady stream of progressively nastier and nastier thing about Bella into Jessica's ear as she watched the stage. Her rampant jealousy was so clear to anyone within a twenty foot radius that it was all but written on her face. I was at the end of my rope and moved to say something to her when I watched my father lean into her side.

"I would advise you to remember that down on that stage is my daughter," he said politely but with a definite edge to his voice. "If the show or music is not to your liking, we can arrange to have a car take you home. But if you stay, please refrain from saying anything else that is hurtful or negative about my family."

I could have kissed him as he looked over her stunned face once to make sure she understood how serious he was. He shot a quick wink at me and then turned his attention back toward the band. She, on the other hand, stood stock still as his words brought her down a few notches.

"Edward, I don't think she has on enough clothes for this kind of performance," Chip's amused voice called over my shoulder. Bella finished the song in a flurry of notes and screams from the audience.

"Chip, don't make me kill you," I groaned as the last notes of the song echoed through the room.

"SEATTLE!!" she screamed into the sea of appreciation. "Good to be home." The answering cries from below her were tumultuous in response.

I couldn't help but grin like an idiot. She looked so happy, so radiant. I wanted to appreciate every second of such beauty. But without another word, the band began another song.

"I want everyone's hands in the air," she yelled above the guitar as she clapped her own hands together high above her head. Immediately, the crowd complied with her request. It seemed that every hand in the room was moving in perfect rhythm with the song

"Damn!" Chip said in surprise. "They haven't played this in a long time."

"Everybody's Fool" had been on the first album. It was a scathing song about the music industry's attempt at packaging musicians with a hint of personal pain thrown in there for good measure. I watched with rapt attention as she took off up the center aisle while she sang the first verse. She moved with such grace that it was difficult to reconcile the body below with the clumsy woman that I spent my days with.

"What has gotten into them tonight?" Marcus asked as he slipped into the box, much to the delight of Alice and Chip. Quick kisses were exchanged before we all turned once again to the force of nature that was making her way around the cavernous room. We watched in astonishment as she started the second verse. She was not quite half way around the room but every eye in the building was on her.

**Look, here she comes now**…she dramatically shielded her eyes with her left hand

**Bow down and stare in wonder…**she bent at the waist dramatically, her hair tumbling around her shoulders in a curtain.

**Oh how we love you…**she opened her arms wide, eliciting a loud round of screaming in agreement

**No flaws when you're pretending**

"I don't know but I really fucking like it," I answered before I could filter myself. Of course, my response was met with a round of snickers and hoots from my family. She was so incredible to watch. The Forks crew seemed truly amazed as she began to make her way toward the tower directly in front of us.

Tyler and Eric were as involved in the show as anyone below us, bobbing their heads in an attempt to head bang and even Mike seemed less occupied with her appearance. She stopped about ¾ of the way around the room and made a small motion with her hand for the audience to lower the volume before she began the bridge.

**Without the mask**

**Where will you hide**

As she sang the words quietly she made her way to the very edge of the ramp at the tower. With amazing control of her voice, she sang the last two lines of the song with an incredible volume while not losing the emotion of the words.

**Can't find yourself**

**Lost in you lie**

To my astonishment, she began to run up the ramp with the last word. She flew up the wooden walkway and leapt onto the top of the piano. I, along with every member of my family, instinctively shot our hands out as she slid a foot across the polished top of the instrument. But she never so much as wobbled in her balance. When she opened her mouth to sing the third verse, you could literally feel the energy of her delivery.

**I know the truth now**

**I know who you are**

**Cause I don't love you anymore**

She sang with her whole body. Her shoulders and hips moved in perfect choreography to the tenor of her voice. On the last line, she made a dramatic show of lifting her left arm above her head and crossing her fingers, forcing another wide smile from me.

After jumping down off the piano, she moved down the narrow steps back toward the stage to finish the song. I could have screamed with the pride I felt as I watched my wife all but vibrate with happiness.

"Dude, you better get seriously hyped up if you're gonna be up there with her tonight," Jasper howled in amusement as she waited for the audience to quiet down enough to address them.

"Jasper, it doesn't matter what I do up there tonight. No one is going to pay any attention to me with her in this kind of form."

I felt like I was seeing the band for the first time all over again. And I couldn't wait to see what she had in store for me.

**Chapter Notes: Make me purr. Next chapter shouldn't take as long to get to you. It started out as part of this one but it ran too long, so I split it in two. It is entirely feasible to get Chapter 28 and the Outtake within a couple of days of each other. All you have to do is hit the button and review.**


	28. Chapter 28Soundtrack to a Fantasy

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**You guys are so awesome! We're inching closer and closer to the magic number of 1000 review. Think we can make it with this chapter?**

**Special shout out to a few people…**

**Michele, you are the Grand Poobah of our band of pervs. Thanks for all the laughs and support. Crow…ah, my missing half. What have I done without you up to this point? To all my girls on Twilight Obsessers…you rock my world. I raise my lemontini to you.**

**Playlist:**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**Everybody's Fool-Evanescence**

**Whisper-Evanescence**

**Taking Over Me-Evanescence**

**My Last Breath-Evanescence**

**Farther Away-Evanescence**

**I Get Off-Halestorm**

**Freak on a Leash-Korn**

**Coming Undone-Korn**

**The last 3 are new ones for us. I highly recommend listening to them if you don't know the songs. Again, to get a really good feel for the concert, I would suggest listening to the Evanescence songs from "Anywhere But Home". All are up on YouTube.**

Chapter 28-Soundtrack to a Fantasy

BPOV

God bless, it felt good to be on stage. I hadn't fully realized how much I missed the band until we walked up the stairs to the stage hand in hand. This was exactly the send off I needed to say goodbye to EverClear. The show in Dallas had been a madhouse. The new songs, Sebastian, the crowd's reactions and stampeding. It was all phenomenal. But I hadn't been aware that it would be my last show for almost a month at the time, so I didn't really get to appreciate it.

This, however, was different. I knew that this was the end for me. This was my last full on performance with the guys. And damn it, I was determined to make it the best of my career. The energy in the air was contagious. We were all in top form from the moment the lights went out.

I had stood off stage and watched Edward as the new intro unfolded. He was breathtaking to behold as he comprehended what he was seeing. I saw it in his eyes the moment understanding gripped him. He was as passionate a fan of EverClear as I was as its singer. And truly, watching the spotlight effects from the side was incredible. We had discussed changing the opening on the bus home from Texas but I never envisioned it would turn out so stellar.

But the crowd was what made the night magical. These were our hometown fans. They knew every song, every note and most of the staging. The volume of their appreciation was like a drug. I watched like a wide-eyed kid as JP and Dimitri play with the same intensity that I felt running through my body as surely as my blood did.

What no one except JP and I knew was that the show was being recorded. There were cameras all over the theater to provide for different angles and viewpoints of the concert. I had even requested that one be fixed on the box high above the left of the stage to record my family and friends. When I "left" EverClear, the footage would be edited together with the rest of the home movies JP had assembled over the years and released as a tribute of sorts. It was all JP's idea but I admit I adored the idea of having something I could look back on once my human memories began to fade. And honestly, anything that showed Edward happy and smiling was priceless to me.

I was particularly looking forward to seeing his reaction to the costume that Chip and Alice had designed for the first set. Tonight would be a first in that I would actually change between each of the three sets. The first costume had been selected and custom made for no one except Edward. I was uncomfortable as hell in the tiny scraps of material but they had assured me that he would respond exactly as I wanted him to. And I needed a drastic response if I was going to get my wish.

I had, almost from the first show we'd ever played, had a voyeuristic fantasy about being with Edward during one of the shows. Not during intermission, not immediately afterwards but actually while the band was playing. Even when I thought it was nothing but a fantasy, long before Edward had reappeared in my life, I'd envisioned the scenario a hundred different times. But now, I was all but consumed with the thought. And tonight was the last night I would ever have the chance to make it happen. But even Chip and Alice didn't know about my secret weapon. Only the band knew about that. So I was beyond anxious to get deeper into the set and make this the show to remember if ever there was one.

When we closed "Going Under", the crowd's response was so intense that I had to wait a full minute for the applause to die down enough to be heard over the roaring crowd. I nearly burst with pride for my boys as wave after wave of sound crashed around us, thanking us for all the pieces of ourselves that we'd put into the music.

It had been a long time since we'd done "Everybody's Fool" live but it was no less thrilling than it ever had been. As I'd made my way around the room, I was so excited to see my family and friends fully engaged in the show. Most of the Forks crew looked remarkably similar to the people I'd once knew. They all danced and bobbed and sang along with the songs. But none of them could compare to Edward. He looked simply elated at the performance. Not to mention hotter than hell in his long black trench coat. It was probably a suicidal move to jump onto the piano but I was high with the energy of the night, so I didn't stop to think about the potential consequences of busting my ass in front of twelve thousand people. I also didn't miss the fact that several pale hands shot out to catch me should I lose my balance.

As we finished up the song, I stood in the middle of the stage and just soaked up the atmosphere. The next song in the line up was an older one. We had stopped playing it after my panic attacks had escalated in their frequency about two years ago. "Whisper" was brutal. It was about that horrible day in the woods. What had ever possessed me to write such a painful song, I couldn't imagine now. As closely related to all aspects of Edward as most of my music was, this one was the one that cut the most, hence not playing it often. All I could ever think about when I sang it was that hideous blank look in his eyes as he'd told me he didn't want me.

But things had changed so completely in the last few months that I thought I could handle it again. I stepped up to the mic to introduce the song just as the lights over the audience lifted enough for me to see into the crowd.

"You guys feel like a little more old school EverClear?" I shouted into the night.

The deafening screams washed over us like a tsunami. I looked at JP as the shouts continued. He was glowing with excitement. He looked so much younger as he grinned madly into the harsh lights that made the temperature on stage feel like standing in a desert. Dimitri began with the cutting guitar rift that ushered in the song and I felt my body tense. Instinctively, I reached up and ran my hand over the choker at my neck and took a deep steadying breath.

**Catch me as I fall**

**Say you're here and it's all over now**

**Speaking to the atmosphere**

**No one's here and I fall into myself**

My stomach absolutely rolled with long forgotten emotions. I wasn't sure if I could do it. The familiar flush of cold sweat shot down my spine as I thought of the next lines. And then I did the smartest thing I'd ever done on stage.

I looked up into the small room to the left and directly into the eyes of my husband. Instead of the cold emotionless eyes that ran in a loop through my mind's eye, I stared into the soft warm orbs of the man that would love me literally until the end of time. In an instant, the cloud of panic that had tried desperately to rise was extinguished. In its place, the knowledge of his devotion made me feel lighter than I thought possible.

**This truth drives me**

**Into madness**

**I know I can stop the pain**

**If I will it all away, if I will it all away**

Bleak as the words were, I didn't feel anything of the blackness that had threatened me just seconds ago. Instead, I felt an impressive surge of determination as I sang. Louder, harder and rawer than I could ever remember. It was his presence that made the difference, not just in the song but in my life. It all came back to Edward.

The rest of the song passed without a reappearance of the icy fear that had made its brief appearance. In a move we hadn't done in more than a year, I ran down the center aisle toward the middle tower as JP and Dimitri climbed the towers on each side of the stage. As the end of the song thundered to a close, the three of us thrashed our heads as I wailed the ending notes. As the notes climbed steadily higher and more desperate in their tone, they flowed easily with the knowledge that he was watching me. Rather than feeling drained, as I often did after the song, I felt invigorated.

"Taking Over Me" was up next. We had opted for the same staging we'd always used for this one. I kept with my standard route around the room, even though I had to work much harder to keep the timing right. The room was so incredibly large compared to what we'd always played but that only added to the adrenaline of the night. As I sang the chorus atop the tower in front of our family, I could hear them singing along with me. I wanted to turn around and watch them so badly. I could hear Edward and Alice in particular as they sang with me and I smiled like a maniac at the crowd. They responded to my mood enthusiastically even if they didn't fully understand where it was coming from.

I took a deep breath and touched my crest before I introduced "My Last Breath." Now that the moment was here, I wasn't sure I could drop the coat. Plan or no plan.

EPOV

"It's awfully cold outside Seattle. How about a song about sex to warm up the temperature in here?" Her voice was absolutely ecstatic in its tenor. I had never heard her sing so incredibly and I could have burst with pride for her. But then I remembered the words that Chip and Alice had teased me so mercilessly with earlier in the evening.

Oh shit, I was going to be in so much trouble. This part of the show had been designed specifically to torture me on a nightly basis. But with the current occupants of the VIP area, it was going to be downright unbearable. Mike, and Tyler and Eric for that matter, had spent most of the sound check thinking progressively dirtier and dirtier thoughts about Bella. So as she introduced the "Last Breath" I knew that it was about to get exponentially harder to ignore their thoughts.

As she reached for the top clasp of her coat, I noticed that Mike's eyes got larger and wilder looking. By the time she reached for the tie around her waist, he was positively drooling as he leaned over the rail. When the lights went down to blackness for her big reveal, I took a deep breath in an attempt to steady myself for the onslaught that was about to begin.

But when the lights flooded the stage, every thought of self control I'd ever had flew out the window. For the second time in as many months, the sight of her as the lights came up and she stalked toward the front of the stage made my body physically jerk in reaction. I nearly took Jasper and Alice out with me this time, saved from landing on my ass only by the four hands that shot out to catch me.

"Holy fuck!" Emmett said with a low whistle.

"Oh, my," my mother said under her breath as she looked at Carlisle, who was obviously shocked at her appearance.

"That's my girl," Chip said with a deep pride in his voice.

The thoughts of the human men in the room were damn near indiscernible.

To say that there wasn't much to the outfit was similar to saying that I kind of liked Bella. What could only be described as a dark red velvet bikini barely concealed her perfect figure. But what stole my breath was what covered that bikini. Deep red metal links formed a chain mail, fucking chain mail, top and skirt. The metal of the "shirt", if you could call it that, was tightly formed to every contour of her body. It was a simple design, like a very tight long sleeved tee shirt that stopped just below the bottom of her breast but the links provided tantalizing glimpses of her porcelain skin beneath. The skirt was nothing more than a dozen rows of metal strung together that barely, and I mean just barely, covered her ass. It sat so low on her hips that the top of the sinful piece of clothing was a good two inches below her hip bones and was split to the very edge of the garment on both sides. On both wrists was a two inch wide dark red metal cuff.

I was so consumed with the depraved images that flashed through my mind that I barely recognized Jasper pushing me back into an upright position and laughing like a hyena at me. The cuffs on her wrist combined with the choker conjured images of my wife kneeling before me, her head bowed in submission. I shook my head like a confused dog in a feeble attempt to focus myself as I gripped the side of the wall that overlooked the stage.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Chip," I groaned, making no attempt to hide the rampant desire that coursed through my body with even the slightest movement she made. "If that is a thong, I will either have to kill you instantly or kiss you."

"Oh sweet Mary Mother of God," he laughed loudly as he eyed my groin knowingly. "I thought you might like that one."

I opened my mouth to respond, but at that moment, Bella turned her body toward our side of the stage. There was a sinful gleam in her eyes as she looked at me and cocked one of her eyebrows.

**Can you hear me**… she lifted her arms high in front of her, beckoning me to her

**Can you feel me in your arms…**she wrapped her arms around her torso and then slid them slowly down her sides, grinning devilishly the entire time.

Whether it was my own preoccupation with the way she looked or a real effect of the intensity of the concert so far, her voice had an erotically strong cadence as she sung the sultry lyrics. Somehow it did register in my hormone riddled brain that she was not following her normal staging for the song. Instead of running around the room, she limited her movements to slinking seductively back and forth across the stage. I could not have torn my eyes away from her as she sang the song if my very soul had depended on it. The volume of the crowd was almost painful it was so loud. JP made a very obvious display of checking her out for the crowd below, which incited even louder screams and shouts.

Jasper and Alice continued to laugh hysterically at me as I stared like one of Pavlov's dogs at my wife in all her wicked glory. It didn't matter that the thoughts of the Forks guys would have normally granted them an instant death sentence or that at least half the men in the audience now sported obvious hard ons. The only thing that mattered in that moment was her. As she moved across the stage, I noticed that the undergarment was, thankfully, not a thong but a tiny high cut bikini style bottom. And if I was completely honest, I was a little disappointed.

"You gonna make it?" Jasper drawled from over my shoulder. I just shook my head no without ever letting my eyes move from the goddess on the stage. "I think Bella may single handedly account for half the women in the audience getting laid tonight," he choked out as the song came to a close.

As the last note faded, I sighed as I waited for JP to move center stage to do "Freak". But again, she went in a completely different direction. Without more than a couple of seconds pause, the band launched into "Farther Away". It was amazing to watch the crowd. Until they started this one, every song they had played so far had been on the first album. But there was no difference in the reaction this song garnered being only a couple of month old versus songs they'd been familiar with for years. The surge of noise was unstoppable and made it very easy to loose yourself in.

I had no idea if it was my own reaction to the song or if Bella truly was singing it in a low growl. Whatever the cause, the effect was maddening. I had never in my life been harder than I was as I watched her forcefully command the attention and respect of the thousands of people at her feet. The tight strain against the front of my, and damn near every male in the room, pants was tolerable only because of the mistress that we all bowed before demanded it.

The shock of the new line up had settled just a little when JP stepped to the front of the stage.

"Howdy ya'll," he said in a much exaggerated drawl. The answering cry from the audience was enough to bring the roof down. Bella stood on stage beside him, rather than making the exit that normally accompanied the start of "Freak". He gave her another blatant eye fucking much to the amusement of the audience before he turned his attention back to the crowd. "Fuckin' smokin' tonight ain't she." Again, they decibel level was enough to burst the eardrums of the humans as they whole-heartedly agreed with his assessment of my wife. "I guess y'all know she got married, right?"

"What the hell is he up to," Chip said in a distracted tone. He looked to Marcus, who simply shrugged his shoulders. Clearly, no one, save for the five musicians on the stage, had any idea what to expect from the evening.

I was chuckling at the obvious annoyment of the man that prided himself on knowing everything about EverClear when I heard Alice gasp behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see her eyes clouded and distant. But before I could hone in on her vision, it was gone and the blank look that always accompanied her visions was replaced by an evil smirk.

"Jesus, Edward. You are in so much trouble. Just for the record, I love you wife," she said in a smug voice.

"So when my bitch here got hitched," JP continued to the crowd, "I told her we would not put out an entire album about magic peens."

The crowd roared in laughter and lust at his confession. Chip nearly fell over laughing and even my parents clapped their hands in encouragement of the lunatic.

"But I did give her one song to praise hubby. Let's see how you like this one. We got a world premier for you guys tonight," he smirked as Dimitri began an unfamiliar guitar chord.

"Rose," Alice called as the simple chord echoed off the high ceiling. "You aren't going to believe this one." My amazon of a sister raised her eyebrows in question just as Bella's voice cut through the sex induced haze that had fallen over the audience.

You don't know that I know You watch me every night

Fuck. Me. I was going to loose it and she was only seconds into the song.

And I just can't resist the urge

**To stand here in the light**

**You're greedy eyes upon me**

She sang in that low range that had a direct link to my cock. I knew, without a doubt, that I was going to come if this song got any hotter. I watched in rapt attention as she walked up one of the small ramps that connected the right side balcony walkway to the center aisle. Each word out of her mouth was accompanied by a sway of her hips, showcasing not only her incredible range but her mouth watering ass as well. When she reached the catwalk directly in front of the upper balcony, the verse came to a close. With amazing grace, she spun around and faced us. Her hair danced around her like a bullwhip and there was absolute fire in her eyes as she stared unrelentingly into my own eyes.

I get off on you

**Getting off on me**

**Give you what you want**

**But nothing is for free**

**It's all give and take**

**And the love we make**

**When your line is crossed**

**I get off**

I get off

God. Fucking. Damn.

As if the words she sang to me alone weren't enough to literally bring me to my knees, the screaming tone and aggressive cadence of them were. She had wailed the lyrics at me with pure lust. Except for the last line, which she simply purred with a bat of her eyelashes. Trying to pick which tone was the bigger turn on was akin to picking which nut you wanted to have forcibly removed. It was a choice that any sane man simply couldn't make. I was vaguely aware that my entire family was howling in laughter and the audience was nearly stampeding in their exuberance of her new song. But fuck if I gave a damn. Mesmerized wasn't the word. Enraptured wasn't even close. Obsessed, well getting close.

I followed her every move as she slowly made her way around the room. I couldn't tell you a single word of the second verse. And really, after the chorus it didn't matter if she was speaking Nordic. My dick would be hard for years thinking of that twenty second mind fuck she'd just given me. But my wife wasn't even close to done. Slowly, with the air of a super predator, she sang the verse, followed by another orgasm inducing chorus and then a brief bridge. With every word, she moved closer and closer to me. And with every step she took in my direction, my resolve to stay inside the room weakened. With regal superiority, she climbed the ramp to the tower in front of me and then up onto the piano. As she held the last note of the interlude, she slowly sank into a crouch facing me. Her right leg was tucked underneath her body and her left was bent up and against her chest, giving me a torturous glimpse of her velvet clad core. Her eyes were almost animalistic in their wonton desire and her entire body was covered in a sheen of sweat that simply begged to be licked.

In what was hands down the most erotic thing I'd ever witnesses as she gazed at me from underneath her long eyelashes and cooed the next few lines to me.

I get off on you

**Getting off on me**

I'll give you what you want

And then she fucking screamed in a guttural tone that was painfully close to the sound that she made when she came. Like lightening, she stood and turned to face the audience to repeat the chorus for them one more time. Her delicious attempt at killing me with my own erection continued as she used her entire body to drive the crowd into insanity, all the while arching her back and pushing her ass in my direction. I wanted, with every particle of my being, to grab her right there on top of the piano in front of all twelve thousand people and bury my head between her legs.

"Don't you fucking dare Edward Cullen!" Alice shouted at me as she locked her hand around my wrist. Okay, so I was closer to acting out my uncontrolled thoughts than I'd thought.

By the time she finally made her way back down on stage and closed the song, I was positive that several men in the audience had actually shot off in their pants. I was dangerously close to doing the same thing myself. Thunderous wasn't even close to adequate to describe the applause for the song. I wasn't sure I even knew an accurate word. It was a cacophony of a magnitude I'd never heard and seemed to go on forever. With a brilliant smile to the audience, she exited the stage to the right and JP stepped back to the mic. I'm sure he addressed them and probably said something that had I not been in a hard on induced coma I would have taken offense at. But none of it registered. Because as she reached the curtains that hid her from the audience, she turned and looked up at me deviously. She raised her small hand level with her chest…and crooked her finger to me.

I didn't even bother with human speed as I tore from the room.

BPOV

This was so going to go the way I wanted it to. I had nearly laughed mid lyric when I looked up at Edward after I'd performed my little strip tease. Even from such a distance and with my weak human sight, I could see the tell-tale bulge in the front of his pants. The expression on his face was a combination of unadulterated lust and pain. Whether the pain was from his own physical "problem" or from something he was hearing, I didn't know. But it was amusing none the less.

I had not expected such a dramatic reaction to the new song. Yes, I knew he would like it. Surprisingly, Edward had a thing for talking dirty. It was usually him muttering the nasty words in my ear and quite frankly, it drove me absolutely crazy. So I knew he would appreciate the song. But when I had crouched in front of him to sing the song that he had inspired, I nearly lost my breath. I had seen Edward with black lust filled eyes many times. But until that moment, I'd never witnessed the transformation. And it was a magnificent transformation.

Every nerve in my body stood at attention as I watched the familiar gold of his soft eyes slowly consumed by the beastial black. His features hardened into an almost frightening expression. The skin around his eyes stretched perfectly smooth, the muscles of his jaw locked and his nostrils flared. I was positive, judging by the deep breaths he took as he looked harshly at me, that he could smell the arousal that flooded me as I watched the metamorphosis from my loving husband to my extremely turned on vampire unfold before my eyes. In that moment, I hadn't actually been sure that he wasn't going to grab me and take me before the song had finished.

I had barely signaled to him to meet me backstage before he disappeared from the VIP seating area. I smiled to myself as I moved around the darkened area of the wings. He had dispensed with the human façade in his hurry to reach me and the idea simply thrilled me. I was almost positive I was going to be able to fulfill my fantasy.

The stage was partially obscured by several stacks of amplifiers and the large video screens that were suspended from the ceiling, providing the privacy we would need should Edward be willing to go along with my deviant plan. I found a small gap between two stacks of the black speakers and stood in apprehensive stillness as I waited. JP was in full swing with the reworked version of "Freak", screaming the first verse at an extremely loud volume, even for him. He had a new song that he was going to debut right after "Freak" and he had been quietly nervous as to how the song would be received all afternoon. The two songs together were a pretty good indication, at least to me; of the direction he would take EverClear once I'd left.

I took a deep breath as I looked up to the balcony again. I'd actually expected him by that point and was slightly worried that he'd decided to ignore my request for him to join me. I briefly locked eyes with a much rounder Mike Newton. He was standing in the far corner of the box and was the only person I could see from my hiding place behind the wall of speakers. He smiled at me like a drunken Labrador and then waived his hand tentatively. I smiled back politely just as a pair of icy hands wrapped around my bare waist.

"You are the most dangerous creature on the planet," his deep voice whispered into my ear, sending a wave of his chilled breath over my shoulder. I could feel his cock pressing hard against my ass and instinctively pressed myself back against him. The vibrations of the low growl that reverberated in his chest sent electrifying shivers down my spine.

"Did you like my new song," I asked coyly as I reached behind me and grasped the back of his neck.

Without a word, he jerked away from me and spun me around to face him. He was as close to unhinged as I'd ever seen him. He closed the distance between us in the next second and kissed me almost violently, his hands locked firmly on my ass. His tongue moved with a desperate force inside my mouth that instantly made me forget everything else around us. I dug my hands into his hair, struggling to pull him even closer. With every sweep of his tongue, his hips pushed against me, forcing me to feel the steely hardness trapped in his leather pants.

I shifted my head away from him slightly to take a much needed breath. He never slowed in his intensity but merely shifted to the sweat slicked skin of my neck. I licked at the soft patch of skin just below his ear, earning a deep moan of approval. When I reached the edge of his earlobe, I knew the time was right to put my plan into action.

"Edward," I said in an almost hoarse voice as my lips gently nipped at the edge of his ear. "I want you...in my mouth. Right now."

He jerked his head up from my neck and looked at me with his black desire filled eyes. The need was evident as a slow smirk spread across his gorgeous face. He grasped my hands and took several small steps backwards, leading me to him, until his back hit the wall. His gaze flickered up and over my shoulder for just a moment before returning to me. I was curious as to what he'd looked at but decided I didn't care when he grabbed the back of my head and gently pushed me to my knees in front of him.

I could distantly hear JP and the band as they continued the song but could focus on nothing but the enormous bulge in front of me and the feel of Edward's hand fisted in my hair. Very quickly, I pulled the snaps on the fly of his pants and groaned as his erection sprang free unencumbered. I had neither the patience nor the time to tease him and judging by the grip he had on my head, he was in no mood to be teased. I placed my hands on his thighs and leaned forward, taking him into my mouth as deeply as possible in a single motion. Even above the din of the music, I could hear the growled "fuck" that slipped from his mouth. With no hesitation or caution, he began to work himself in and out of my mouth. I flattened my tongue along the underside of his cock with each inward thrust of his hips and sucked harshly with every retreat. The sounds that escaped his mouth with each pass were driving me wild when combined with my own arousal. I bared my teeth and scraped up his rock hard shaft as I felt my own moisture slide slowly down the inside of my leg.

"That's it…oh, shit that feels so good…fuck me," he panted into the humid air of the arena as I increased my pace. In a flash of pure wonton lust, I bit the very tip of his member just before it slipped out of my mouth, earning the most feral growl so far followed by a dark chuckle. I felt the shudder that ran through him as I slid him back down my throat, pausing only to relax the muscles of my throat as he hit the very back of my windpipe. With a moan of my own, I buried my nose into the soft hair at the base of his dick as I slid my hands around him and gripped his ass tightly.

"Fucking shit," he gasped as I nuzzled into him, all the while suctioning as hard as possible. With three more long pulls from base to tip, he pushed my head into his pelvis. "Swallow it down baby," he grunted as he came in several forceful frigid spurts.

Almost before I could fully release him from my mouth, he reached down and slid his hands under my arms. My feet never hit the ground as he walked us back toward the wall of speaker.

"My bad girl wants to get fucked in front of twelve thousand people, doesn't she?" he hissed seductively as he backed me up and then pressed the weight of his body against mine. In my lust crazed stupor, I simply nodded before I attacked his lips again. After a scorching kiss that could have lasted seconds or hours, he pulled away. The gleam in his eye was simply orgasmic as he used my hips to turn me back toward the stage just as JP launched into the heaviest part of the song.

"Its only polite to watch the show Bella," he whispered into my ear as I felt the metal links of my skirt being lifted and pushed into a heap on my waist. I gripped the edge of the hard plastic casing tightly and spread my legs apart in anticipation, again feeling my own juices flowing down my inner thighs. "I'm not going to ask if you're ready for me." His voice was low and dangerous in my ear as I felt the tip of his penis press against my still covered core. "I can smell you," he growled as he yanked the tiny bottoms down to my knees.

He slid his length between my legs, coating himself in my flooding arousal, as he grasped my hips in his long fingers. "Ummm, I like these heels," he said appreciatively. I felt him position himself at my opening just as he leaned in and pressed his chest against my back. "It puts that beautiful pussy at just the right height for me to do this." And with those sinful words, he thrust himself fully into me.

My orgasm was instantaneous. A single push of his hips and I completely melted. The ripples of extreme pleasure locked my muscles into place as the familiar tingle coursed through my veins. But my husband never paused in his movements behind me. With a fierce rhythm, he pulled my hips back into him over and over, even as my orgasm flowed.

"My, my…what a reaction. Such a naughty girl."

As the first wave of pleasure crested, I arched my back to meet his movements, driving him deeper. With relentless force he pounded into me over and over, all the while muttering a constant stream of progressively nastier things in my ear. Only seconds after JP introduced a new song to the rampaging crowd, Edward slid his right hand away from my hip bone and down. With deliberate slowness, his icy finger circled my clit. Through the fog of pleasure, I realized that his hand was moving in perfect time with the beat of the new song. I sucked in a harsh breath as I felt the familiar fire in my lower back rising higher and higher. All it took to push me over the edge was a well timed pinch that my perfect husband delivered as he felt me tensing.

"Who does this to you Bella?" His voice was dreamlike in its intensity as he pressed himself into me with harsher thrusts.

"You. Only you."

"That's right baby. You are mine."

"Yes," I gasped as a third rolling pressure began to build. "Yours. Only yours."

"Look up Bella. Look up across the stage and into the audience," he demanded.

I pulled my head up from its position resting against the speaker and looked up into the private box that was mostly hidden from us. Mostly, because staring back at me, with a look of absolute understanding as to what he was witnessing, was Mike Newton. His eyes were so wide I thought they might actually burst from his skull and his mouth was hanging open in a cartoonish "o" formation. There was also a slight tent in the front of his pants.

I should have been mortified. I should have stopped immediately. But the idea that we were being watched only added to the pleasure of the experience. In that second, I also realized that Edward had known he was watching us from the very start and had taken a great amount of pleasure himself in the voyeuristic act.

With a surge of strength, Edward wrapped his right arm around my waist and laced the fingers of his left hand through mine as they clung to the speakers. He turned his head into my neck and nearly lifted me off my feet with the power of his thrusts. For the third time in less than fifteen minutes, I came hard as I felt the muscles in his legs tense.

"Mine," he whispered as he came and I knew without having to look at him that his eyes would be focused on Mike high above the stage.

His movements instantly turned tender as he kissed the side of my neck reverently, slowly releasing his stranglehold on my waist. Very gently, he pulled the velvet bottom of my costume back up and lowered my skirt as I struggled to catch my breath.

"I'm sorry," he said as he stepped away and pulled me toward his chest. "I shouldn't have done that."

I wanted to be irritated with him but the truth was it was an extreme turn on that he had not only fulfilled my fantasy so completely but one of his own as well. He had always been sensitive when it came to Mike, even though it was completely ridiculous, but I understood where his desire to "claim" me came from. I laid my palm against his cheek as I looked into his eyes, now back to their normal golden hue and filled with nervous anticipation. He was clearly waiting for me to explode. So I kissed him instead. I smiled into the kiss as he responded, glad that I could make one of his dreams come true.

"Still not that fond of Mike?"

"Not when I've had to hear him all afternoon, no. Are you okay to go back on stage?"

"Umm, I'm great to go back out," I said as I leaned up on my toes and pulled him down until his ear was level with my mouth. "I get to finish the set with the feel of you between my legs. Even now, I can feel you on the inside of my thighs."

"Jesus Christ!" he rasped as I stepped away from him and began to make my way back toward the front of the offstage area. The band had about twenty seconds left in the song and then it would be time for me to resume the show. I left Edward standing like a statue and gawking at me as I rounded the corner and ducked out of sight, laughing to myself at just how different this homecoming was. Just as I stepped around the heavy curtain Edward called out to me.

"Bella!"

"Yes?" I said innocently as I leaned around the thick drape to peer at him. He was clearly amused and excited by our little display and probably my words as well.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he asked with a heart-stopping crooked grin.

"Yeah, I do. Almost as much as I love you. Now go, I've got three more songs."

I stepped back out into the harsh lights of the stage and was met with the incredible volume of the crowd. JP was sweating profusely but looked happier than I'd seen him in a long time. I glanced up to my left into the faces of my family and friends, all of which looked relaxed and excited. All except one, who looked like he'd seen a kitten disemboweled. I smirked to myself as I grabbed the mic and peered into the faces of the crowd below.

"It's been one hell of a night so far! You guys up for a little more?"

**Chapter Notes: You know what I'm looking for. Scratch my ears and make me purr.**

**I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I have to play pimp for a story that I am truly in love with. If you haven't read A Picture of Dorian Gray by CorvidCoccinelle, go right now and read it. It is a fabulously hot story that is extremely well written. I can't say enough about it. Seriously, go right now and read. Well, after you review, then go read.**


	29. Chapter 29The Ghost of EverClear's Past

**Author's Note: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you already knew that.**

**Thanks to all of you that continue to support the story. It's getting harder and harder to type these notes as the story winds down. Don't get teary eyed on me yet though, we still have a massive concert to finish! Not to mention a certain outtake that a lot of you really seem to want.**

**Special thanks to all my girls on Twilight Obsessers. You guys simply rock my world.**

**Playlist**

**Solitary-Evanescence**

**So Close-Evanescence**

**Hello-Evanescence**

**Lithium-Evanescence**

**Away From Me/Eternal-Evanescence**

**Breathe No More-Evanescence (Anywhere But Home version works best)**

**My Immortal (Anywhere But Home version works best)**

**These are the songs Edward refers to during the chapter but only the last two are must listen to songs. Live versions from Anywhere But Home give it the true feel.**

Chapter 29-The Ghost of EverClear's Past

EPOV

I stood on the side of the stage long enough to watch her glide back out into the lights of the stage and the open arms of the audience. The overwhelming feelings that ran rampant through me as I watched her would have scared me years ago. Lust, pride, possessiveness, jealousy and love all dueled for dominance inside my heart. But as always with Bella, love won the internal struggle as I watched her begin the next song. I smiled at her and at my unbelievable fortune to have earned the love of such an incomparable woman for just a moment before I turned and left the paradise of the stage wings. I made my way back around the rear of the stage at a slightly slower pace than I'd traveled just a few minutes before. I could still feel her body pressed against mine in a phantom memory way. But her smell as it clung to me was anything but phantom. If I could figure out a way to keep her scent permanently adhered to myself, I would do it every single day for eternity without hesitation.

I might have to work on that.

I reached the heavy black door of our family's private viewing room and pulled it open only to run directly into Alice. She didn't say a word but smirked at me very knowingly before brushing past me, Chip hot on her heels, with a laugh. The fleeting thoughts told me the two of them were heading to the dressing room to get ready for the intermission that would follow her last three songs of the set. I stepped up to the railing just as she finished the first verse of "Cloud Nine" and gawked at how composed she was. Her voice was ungodly tonight. If she sang every song in the next two set with the same force and intensity as she'd used in the first set, she wouldn't be able to speak for days. But I could never bring myself to chastise her for such a performance. This was her goodbye to the world that she had initially entered in order to hide from her emotions but had grown to command in just a few short years.

I was lost in my thoughts and the vision of my wife in her most torturous costume to date when I became aware of my brothers standing on either side of me. I looked to the right to find Jaz staring at me with something akin to admiration on his face. Startled, I looked to my left to find Emmett looking at me harshly. With deliberate slowness, he leaned in and sniffed my neck very loudly. With a small groan, he pulled back and looked past me to Jasper, who still looked like he'd seen a ghost and had yet to say a single word.

"You motherfucker," he said a little concerningly before he broke out into a wide slightly disconcerting smile. " Fuckin' A Jaz, he did it."

"What the hell are you talking about Emmett?" I asked him with genuine confusion.

"I told you idiot," Jasper said teasingly to our hulking toddler of a brother. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, could have sent Newton into meltdown but that."

I realized exactly what they were talking about. There was no possible way that they could not know what Bella's fresh scent clinging to me had to mean. Rather than try to deny it or feel even remotely embarrassed about it, I grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Damn it, boy!" Emmett said with a painful slap to my back. "You have got to tell me. What's the score?"

"Huh?"

"He's asking if you had time to get off," Jasper said with an evil stare at Newton, who had very casually inched his way out of the corner that had provided him with such an "interesting" view of the stage. He was trying so hard to look nonchalant but he was failing miserably. He clung to every word we said, as if somehow I would definitively deny what he'd seen just a few short minutes ago.

I looked down at the stage as Bella launched into the chorus of the song and sighed heavily but only for dramatic effect. Okay, so it was completely wrong to be discussing this with anyone and it was ridiculously childish to be so smug about it. But inflicting an emotional Spanish Inquisition on Newton had become something of a hobby for me the last several hours.

"Two to three, Bella in the lead," I said crassly. I heard the pained groan that escaped Mike's mouth without permission as Em and Jaz hooted their approval. I looked past Emmett's hulking shoulder directly at Mike as he cut his eyes toward me. With an obvious gesture, I reached down, adjusted my self and smiled at him.

"You are fucking evil," Em choked out as he leaned his giant hands onto the wall of the booth and laughed almost uncontrollably. "Bella will have you singing 'Kumbaya' with him if she finds out you just did that."

"I don't think so brother. I had her look up to see our audience while we were 'occupied'. Let's just say that seemed to rather enjoy knowing that we weren't completely hidden. What she'll kill me for is discussing this with you two, so keep your mouths shut."

The rest of the set continued with two more songs from the first album. She never lost a bit of her intensity or energy. In fact, the deeper into the set she got, the higher her fervor climbed, taking the rest of the band with her. They were like banshees by the time the lights on the stage went out and the band took their first leave of the evening.

I spent just a moment talking with the friends in our company about the show as the crowd below fell into a steady but much quieter hum. Everyone seemed to be genuinely impressed with the band but almost awe struck at Bella. They, like me the first time I'd seen her on stage, could not quite wrap their minds around the fact that this was the same painfully quiet girl they had known so long ago. When Carlisle asked me to show him to the dressing room, I politely made excused myself, leaving the humans in the company of my family. As my father and I made our way around the back of the stage, I realized I didn't know why he was going back in the first place. Generally, he stayed with my mother during intermission.

"Making her keep her promise to me from earlier this afternoon," he replied when I questioned him. "She's playing the next set and I made her swear to tape her wrist and wear the brace. I'm also going to give her a mild painkiller. Quite honestly, its much to soon for her to play but trying to dissuade her is much like trying to convince you not to beat yourself up," he said with a kind grin in my direction as we rounded the stage and started up the utilitarian hallway toward her dressing room.

I just chuckled. He was right. She really shouldn't be playing. But I couldn't take it away from her. So the best we could do was to secure the still healing bones in her arm the best we could and pray that she used a little common sense. When we reached the door, Carlisle paused as I reached for the handle.

"Perhaps I should wait here until you make sure she's dressed. I understand that they have costume changes for her and I really don't want to embarrass her by walking in unannounced."

I nodded quickly as I pushed the door and stepped inside. Bella was standing in front of a long white leather couch with a towel clutched against her chest in her right hand and her left hand piling her hair high atop her head with her left. The upper part of her chain mail and the tiny top that had been underneath lay in a pile at her feet. Alice stood behind her unfastening whatever type of clasp held the tiny skirt in place while Chip rung a soaking washcloth over her shoulders and down her arms. When she caught my entrance, she smiled brilliantly and roller her eyes at the amount of fuss being made over her.

"I got all sticky during the first set," she said innocently. Her eyes, however, danced with deviousness.

"Ugh, please shut the hell up," Alice groaned as the chains around her ass fell to the floor. With no pause, Alice grabbed the bikini bottoms and yanked them down her legs, eliciting a yelp from my poor wife at the touch of her cold hands. "I truly don't need to hear any more from either of you."

"Carlisle is outside waiting for you baby. He wants to check your arm out and then wrap your wrist before the next set," I said as tried to stifle a laugh.

Chip completed his impromptu sponge bath and slid a bathrobe over her shoulders in under a minute. He and Alice were both consumed with their respective jobs as she turned toward the couch and slumped down with a small huff.

"Carlisle!" she yelled unnecessarily. "I'm descent."

I slid into the seat next to her and pulled her back against my chest as the door opened again. "You are utterly indecent my little exhibitionist," I murmured in her ear as my father crossed the room toward her.

"I said not another word out of you two. Shut it or I swear I will tell Dad what you two were up to," Alice hissed with amusement as Chip held on to her shoulder to steady himself as he finally burst out laughing.

"I really don't want to know, do I?" my father asked as he took the seat to Bella's right. We both shook our heads "no" as Chip handed him his small travel bag of medical supplies.

We spent the next ten minutes talking about the show and the reaction of the Forks crew while Carlisle dressed her wrist as if it were vital to her survival. She was thrilled to hear that they all seemed to like the show and was much more enthusiastic about seeing them after it was over than I ever could have been. When Carlisle handed her the small white pill, she took it from him without any protest and without ever breaking our conversation. When he was positive that he could do no more to keep her from injuring herself, he kissed her cheek and made his way out of the room.

"Time to get dressed Baby Girl," Chip said in a sing song voice. He and Alice had laid the pieces of fabric out on the top of a vanity counter to the left of a door that led to a bathroom.

"Do I even want to know what you're wearing for this set," I asked as I offered her my hand to help her off the couch. She slipped her tiny fingers into mine and giggled at my reaction.

"I think this one is pretty tame comparatively," she said as she rose gracefully.

Without a backward glance, she walked toward her personal pains in the ass and dropped the bathrobe. My breath hitched and I think I actually growled as I stared at her naked and slightly damp body both from the back and in the reflection in the mirror in front of her.

"Relax Edward; we've all seen it before. I've got the same parts, Chip doesn't want them and you've had them…well, pretty much any way they could be had," Alice said as she took in my reaction. Everyone in the room howled at her assessment but I did notice that Bella blushed slightly.

With little pause in their hooting, Chip handed her the tiniest black strapless bra I'd ever seen. She fastened it quickly before Alice handed her a scrap of blue denim that she wiggled into with an inadvertently seductive sway. The jeans were faded almost to the point of being thread bare and looked like they had been painted onto her skin as she fastened them. Of course, they sat low enough on her hips to expose the entirety of her tattoo and framed her butt perfectly.

With a heavy sigh, she slumped into the chair in front of the vanity as Chip pulled her hair from its restraints at the crown of her head, sending it cascading beautifully over her shoulders. I watched in fascination as Chip and my sister worked in tandem while Bella completely ignored them both as she threaded her crest through a short black strap. I was so preoccupied; I almost missed the thoughts of the approaching visitor as he made his way toward the dressing room.

"Little Miss Muffet sat on my tuffet as I ravaged her curds and whey,"

I braced my hand against the door just as he pushed, never slowing his gait. With a loud thud against the wood and a screeched "mother puss bucket", JP ran face first into the secured door. I chuckled under my breath as I listened to him cuss up a blue streak as he rattled the handle.

"Edward! Let me the hell in. I've seen her naked before," he whined as he yanked on the handle time and time again.

"That statement won't help you any," I called to him as Alice laughed at our conversation.

"Dude, I gotta talk to her."

I only released my grip on the handle as Bella pulled her shirt, or what I assume was supposed to pass as a shirt, over her head. The tight black spandex was a simple sleeveless baby tee but had been sliced horizontally from seam to seam at two inch intervals, leaving large sections of her body exposed. He piled into the room with his nose gripped between his fingers and looked around at the occupants. He was as hyped up as I'd ever seen him, no doubt from the insane reaction of the crowds. He sank into the cushions of the couch we'd just vacated and looked over her outfit with his brows pulled together.

"What, no fucking barbed wire thong to top off that last one. You look pretty fuckin' uptight, not to mention there's not nearly enough skin showing."

"Go to hell Asshole."

"Take me with you Bitch," he replied without missing a beat. "Seriously, you sounded really fucking good out there. I thought you'd be wearin' out by the last three. You get something to drink while you were off stage?"

"Something like that," my wife muttered so low I wasn't sure that the humans could hear her. Her cheeks flooded pink as she focused on her crest again and I tried my hardest to stifle the chuckle that was trying to burst out of my chest.

It did not go unnoticed by either JP or Chip.

"Uh oh, what gives that's got you stuttering like me in church," JP pried.

"Don't you mean a whore?" she quipped, still not meeting his knowing eyes.

"Like I said, like me in church. Spill it Bitch."

Her cheeks were completely flooded with that gorgeous shade of pink by this point and Chip had joined in the staring. She cut her eyes in the mirror from one to the other, obviously realizing that neither was going to let it drop. She looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders very slightly before a truly evil grin spread across her glossed lips. She straightened her shoulders and then turned to face him.

"Why yes, JP, as a matter of fact I did swallow something during my break. It was very cold, shot straight down my throat and did wonders for my voice."

"Oh, good God! Was that necessary?" Chip wailed painfully as he halted his ministrations long enough to gawk at her.

"Fucking shit! I am never going to be okay again," Alice said in mock abhorrence.

I couldn't contain my laughter any more as I looked into the stunned face of JP, who stood motionless, his eyes bugging nearly out of their sockets. I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, still laughing, only to be met with a harsh swat across the back of the head.

"I can't do that to her, so you can suffer the wrath," my sister lamented as she tried to resume her efforts on Bella's makeup, only to find the task difficult to do through her laughter.

"By the way, the new song is incredible. You did good buddy," she said kindly to a still stunned JP. He sat for a moment longer before he made quite a production out of shivering.

"I really didn't need that Bitch. You're gonna send me onstage with a break-neck boner." He huffed out a breath and then pushed the palms of his hands roughly into his closed eyes. "So, anyway we were thinking that we need to finish the next set up with 'Immortal' rather than leave it in the third set."

"Why?" I asked, still chuckling over Bella's boldness. "What's different about the second set?"

"We're pulling out several of our oldest songs and most of them are very piano heavy," she answered me, lifting her mummified wrist in the air. She stared into nothingness for a brief moment and then continued. "It makes sense but it feels a little strange."

"Yeah, I thought you might think that. But with the set we put together, I think it will work best."

"If it makes any difference baby, I would love to see you play it. As much as I adore playing with you, I've told you that my absolute favorite thing in the world is to watch **you** play," I said as I gently rubbed her exposed arms with my fingertips.

Her eyes caught mine in the mirror and she leaned back into her chair, her head resting against my stomach. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, fully intending on claiming her lips, when a groan from behind us distracted me.

"Ugh, could you two be any more disgusting?" JP smirked as he reached for the door. "By the way, we've only got about five minutes left, so move your ass."

I stood back from her as Chip threw a pair of very long boots at her feet. They were both moving at break-neck pace to finish the necessary preparations. Alice looked at me expectantly and cocked her head toward the door. With a reluctance I was somewhat surprised at, I realized she was right. We needed to leave them to finish and get back to our seats. With a much quicker kiss than I would have liked, I left the dressing room and followed Alice back through the corridors behind the stage.

We stepped back into the small room and into a mass of conversations. Rose and Esme were completely absorbed in discussing the crowd's attire while the humans were going on and on about the show. Even Lauren was grudgingly admitting that the concert was good even as she cut her eyes toward my father to see if he was listening. Jasper and Emmett were off in the corner of the room and looked much more serious than anyone else in the small alcove.

"Guys?" I asked curiously as I stepped in front of them, interrupting a clearly excited Jasper.

"She's here Edward," he said simply.

"Who?"

"Heidi. She's here, just behind the soundboard on the upper balcony."

All three of us turned to seek out the enigmatic woman that had, up until that second, been a grainy image on a television screen. She was easy enough to find once I'd been given the direction to look toward. Her long dark hair had waves that hinted at Italian descent and her skin was a fair olive complexion. She stood in stark contrast to the peopled around her, all laughing and conversing easily. Her back was rigid with stress and she kept her arms wound around her waist tightly. But her eyes were what held me. The darkness of them went beyond her irises and gave away the engrained pain of the last several years.

"I saw her this afternoon," I said with a start as I realized she was the small figure I'd seen at the ticket window as we'd arrived at the auditorium earlier in the day. It all made sense now that I watched her look over the crowd. The hesitancy I'd sensed from her this afternoon was evident even now as she stood among the mass of leather and metal.

"Should we tell him?" Emmett asked as the three of us continued to watch her shift in her seat.

The band answered for us. The lights above the general seating went dark and the crowd responded a second later. The screams and yells were steady and growing strong, like a tide of noise was coming into the shore. The stage itself was completely black. No spotlights, no over heads, not even the blue haze that sometimes lit the way for them as they took their positions.

The two large video screens on either side of the stage were suddenly illuminated. The bright white of the screens shone like beacons through the enormous room. Very slowly, large black letters on each screen came into focus

It Started Over Four Years Ago

The whistles and cheers from the crowd would have suggested that Elvis himself had stridden onto the stage rather than the few words suspended high above. As slowly as they had faded into focus, the faded out and were replaced by another verse.

When Two Neighbors Met in the Early Morning Hours of a Rainy Seattle Night

As the line came into sharp focus, two solitary spotlights burst from the ceiling above the stage to illuminate JP and Bella, both perched casually on wooden stools in the middle of the stage. JP held his acoustic guitar perched on his lap and small silver mic stands were positioned in front of each of them. They were looking at each other rather than into the crowd that had nearly exploded as they came into view.

"Damn it, they're brilliant," Chip muttered from his seat next to Alice.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked from directly behind them as JP quietly counted off the start of a song onstage. The clear chords of the solitary guitar began to fill the room.

"They're going back to the beginning," he said simply.

I recognized the song from the tape we'd watched just over a week ago in our hotel room. Chip was right. It was "Solitary"; otherwise known as the song they considered the first real EverClear song.

**How many times have you told me**

**You love her**

**As many times as I wanted **

**To tell you the truth**

I was floored as I watched a large majority of the crowd sing the song with her. Chip was right; they were going back to the beginning. I realized with a pang of guilt that they were literally going to play almost every song they'd ever written together. Because after tonight, there would never be another opportunity to do so. Alice, recognizing the song as well, leaned her head over and rested it against my shoulder while the rest of my family took in the beautiful song. I watched her.

She sat on the stool, her back straight and her hair falling gracefully into her lap, and sang with spell-binding clarity. They both looked completely relaxed and radiant. With the simple staging and earliest melodies, they had transformed the cavernous room filled with thousands into an intimate venue full of old friends.

It was a stroke of genius the way that as the song progressed, another simple line of text would appear as each of the instruments were added to the song. The band's conception was written out for the mass of thousands and carved in stone the legacy that would no doubt follow the band for years to come. When the song's tempo rose sharply and the full wrath of the instruments kicked in, the full stage lights came and the crowd erupted into the loudest applause of the night as the last line of text appeared.

_**And EverClear Was Born…**_

"I wish someone had thought to record the show," Chip mused to Marcus. "They are unstoppable tonight."

Alice smiled knowingly at him as she pointed to the side of the stage furthest away from us. Nestled in the corner, was a small black video camera with a blinking red light at the top. I scanned the room and found eight more of the camera, all angled toward either the stage or the audience and laughed.

"My wife is extraordinary," I said to no one in particular. She had very discreetly found a way to keep this part of her life after she'd changed. She'd known that her human memories would fade and had taken steps to ensure that she had something tangible of her past to hang on to.

"She really is," my father agreed, although whether it was her performance or her forethought, I wasn't sure.

The song came to a howling close and they immediately launched into a song that I'd never heard. Bella stood up off the stool and walked toward the front of the stage into the open arms of the audience. These truly were the hometown fans. I honestly thought as I watched her sing the surprisingly light song that she could have sung them the phonebook and they would have hurt their vocal chords shouting their praise for her. Clad in her thigh high boots over the tight denim and the peek-a-boo shirt, she looked both innocent and sinful at the same time as her voice rose through the air with a joyous grace. The ending of the song cam abruptly and the surge of noise from the appreciative audience was overwhelming.

"Oh, Seattle, I've missed you," she called out to the still deafening crowd. "You like the old stuff do you?"

She turned and walked back toward the gleaming piano just a few feet behind her and took her seat at the bench. She leaned forward and kissed the gleaming black top before she flipped the lid away from the keys. As the crowd registered that she was indeed going to play, the yells and shouts grew even louder. I was on my feet, my fingers in the corners of my mouth whistling when she looked up at me and winked.

JP stepped up to his mic as the noise level began to die down minutely. He seemed almost as overcome with emotion as he peered into the sea of faces below him as Bella often did.

"Good to see everyone where they belong," he said happily as he turned to face her at the piano with a grin. The crowd's obvious agreement rang through the room. "So, we thought we'd take a little walk down memory lane with you guys tonight. This next one was written to someone…" he trailed off and briefly looked down at the floor. "For someone that I hurt. I hope that one day she can forgive me."

**Can you forgive me again**

**I don't know what I said**

**But I didn't mean to hurt you**

The tinkling melody of the song chimed through the air like knife as Bella began to sing "Forgive Me". JP was looking down again, seemingly unable to face the crowd just yet. As the song picked up, he joined in as she sang the pleading lyrics and seemed to relax just a bit.

I couldn't help but find Heidi in the crowd. Her face was a mask of indifference as she stared at the stage. But silent tears slowly streaked her cheeks and she sang the lyrics word for word along with Bella. I also noticed that Jasper was looking in her direction, his jaw tight with some emotion he was trying to suppress.

The gentle sorrowful song continued, as did the dark haired girls tears. As Bella's solitary voice sang the last line, Heidi picked her coat up off her chair and turns up the aisle behind her. Before I even made the conscious decision to do it, I ran out of the box and moved down the hallway outside the arena. Just outside the main entrance into the street, I found her leaning against the wall with her head in her hands.

There were people milling around the hallway, laughing and talking or buying refreshments but no one seemed to pay any attention to the attractive woman that seemed to be lost in her grief. I walked toward her very tentatively; unsure of what I even intended to do.

"Dude! That's Bella's fucking husband," a man in his early twenties with extremely long hair and very blood shot eyes said as he and his friends passed by me. They chattered on about how lucky I was as I put on my best friendly face for them and thanked them for coming to the show. When they moved on and headed back toward the show, I looked back to find Heidi staring at me.

"No need to ask who you are is there?" she said in a surprisingly deep voice. Her thin frame and unsure posture did not fit with the deep husky voice that she spoke in.

"No, I guess not."

"I spoke to, was it your brother? He told me you had asked him to find me. I need to know why."

I thought for a just a moment before I answered her. This was not a scenario I had envisioned when I'd left the small private room above the stage. Truth be told, I had no idea why I'd even left. I could hear Bella's voice echoing through the theater behind me. The song she was singing was a torturous one from the first album. Long before I'd known who EverClear was, I'd avoided the song whenever I listened to the album because the words were simply to painful to listen to. I stepped back and gazed into the large open double doors that lead back into the concert. I could see my wife at the piano, her hands flying over the keys as the desperate words stabbed through the air. As I looked at her, I knew I had my answer for Heidi.

"Do you hear the song? Do you hear the pain in it?"

"I was there the first time she played it. She didn't sing it then but she'd written the lyrics out. What does that have to do…"

"Pain," I interrupted her as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my trousers. "I forced not only myself but her to live with so much pain for far too long. Her forgiveness, her love makes everything in the world seem right again. I watched him," I said softly, aware of how sensitive Bella had been to the use of her name and mine, "sit on the floor and try to hide his own pain as he watched a video that you were in. He couldn't do it. I watched his tears as he stared at you on the screen and I…"

"Wanted to make it better," she finished softly.

"For both of you, not just him. But yes."

"We were very different than you and Bella," she whispered as her eyes filled again with moisture.

"Not really. You and Bella were on the receiving ends of ridiculously bad misinformed choices that we made that had terrible consequences. It's not that different."

"I can't be with someone I can't trust," she retorted with an edge in her voice.

"That's what forgiveness is about. Learning to trust again. Yourself as well as him. I don't know how Bella ever forgave me for my actions. I never will understand. But she did and I thank God every day for that second chance," I said as I heard my wife start another song.

"He loves you," I said simply, hoping the words meant to her what they had meant to Bella. "He's an idiot with no filter but he's a good man that loves you desperately."

She smiled at my characterization. She stared past me toward the far off stage. JP was standing on the side of the stage as they played "Lithium". The song was always a showcase for Bella's voice and playing but he was no less intense in his performance than always.

"He needs to cut those damn dreads," she said with an amused smile on her face. "I hated them from the very beginning." Her thoughts were torn between running from the building and wanting to at least finish watching the show. There was a current of extreme pride in her thoughts as she watched them play their hearts out that made me think I'd touched a nerve.

"I think Chip would celebrate for days if he would," I laughed.

"Chip's still with them? Wait, of course Chip is still with them. He couldn't cut the umbilical chord with either of them. How is he?"

"Why don't you come say hello? We have a private viewing box on the left side of the stage. I'll be down with them during the third set but we'd love to have you join us."

Her heart stuttered for the span of a few beats as her thoughts warred. With a sharp huff, she nodded her head. Not wanting to make her any more nervous than she already was, I turned and started back down the hallway toward the small room. Her heart pounded in her chest almost as violently as Bella's hands on the keys did. When we reached the doorway, she reached out and touched my forearm hesitantly.

"Can they see into the room?" Her voice was very different. Small, fearful and wary.

"Occasionally, when the lights hit it from a certain angle. But he doesn't know you're here. We didn't say anything to him. He won't know to look for you," I said as soothingly as I could.

With a small nod from her, I opened the door. We stepped in and the energy of the room enveloped me again. It was amazing how the proximity of the stage could change the feel of the music. I'd heard every note they played while in the corridor outside the arena. But actually being inside was like the difference between night and day. The electric pulse of the crowd was almost physically present now that I could once again feel the heat of the lights and vibrations of the instruments.

Chip looked over his shoulder at me as I reentered the room, his eyebrows high in question. But shock overtook his entire body as I stepped aside and held the door for our newest guest. His hand rose to his mouth as he gasped, his eyes instantly filling with tears. Faster than I knew him to be capable of, he pushed me out of the way and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the hug fiercely. Seconds later, Marcus joined them and the three of them stood huddled together in the embrace of long lost friends.

"That's a good thing you did there Edward," Jasper drawled as I stepped beside him to allow the three humans a little privacy.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But it just didn't feel right to let her leave without saying something."

Alice didn't speak as she stood in front of Jasper. Her gaze never left the stage but she reached out and took my hand. With a hard squeeze, she smiled and pulled me closer to her and her husband.

When they finally released each other, Heidi allowed herself to be pulled toward the chairs. She took her seat between Marcus and Chip, his arm around her shoulder in a protective hug. On her other side, Marcus slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. The hesitancy of her thoughts gave way to comfort as she reconnected with the first of her former friends. But her eyes sought JP on the stage with the same staggering need that mine did as I watched Bella.

The rest of the set continued with Bella behind the piano for the majority of the songs. I got lost in the incredible sight of her as she played with a determination that I'd rarely seen from her. Every song brought a stronger more forceful reaction from the crowd. When they launched into "Away From Me" the crowd nearly exploded out of the room. They couldn't seem to get enough of the band's newest songs. It was an unprecedented display of premiering so many new songs, particularly since the second album had only been out for a few weeks. When they transitioned from the song into the instrumental piece they had composed together earlier in the day, the crowd went ballistic.

They were so into the song, they seemed to almost forget that the crowd was still there. I watched as a strange mix of happiness, determination and discomfort shrouded my wife's face. With every movement of the song, the screams of the crowd grew more unrestrained. I watched the small crease between her eyes deepen as the song progressed and understood that her arm was starting to bother her, although she never faltered her playing.

"Their new stuff is so different," Heidi said to Chip, her head leaned against his shoulder as if there had never been a years long separation since they'd last seen each other. They had kept up a steady stream of conversation since she'd sat down but I had not paid much attention to it. I wanted to give them some time to reconnect and obviously, they had had no problem doing so.

"They're in a much different place now. At least she is," he said comfortingly.

"Is she doing alright since the attack?" My back stiffened at the mention of that horrible night.

"She's coming along. Edward dotes on her like she's made of glass. I think if he could get away with it, he'd carry her everywhere they went. But he's good for her."

I smiled at his words. He was one of the few people besides Bella and my family whose opinion meant something to me. I was surprised at how good it made me feel to know that he now fully trusted me.

"I always hated that bastard. I'm glad she's doing well and is happy. She looks incredible. Married life must be good for her," Heidi laughed as the closed the song.

"You guys are so awesome," Bella called out to the crowd. They responded to her praise with ever increasing enthusiasm. "We've got a couple more for you and then we're going to take a short break. You up for more?"

She immediately began to play "Breath No More". I smiled like an idiot as my song filled the heated air. Without realizing I was doing it, my fingers began to play the notes on my lap as I watched her. No far into the song, the band joined in with a subtle accompaniment. It wasn't the original composition but it was still beautiful. She looked up towards our seats and smiled dazzlingly at me. The excited growl she'd sang with all night was present again, making the song even more emotional.

As she looked at me from below, her eyes widened as she caught sight of the new occupant. I didn't think it was feasible but her smile grew even wider. She tilted her head in acknowledgement and I looked over to see Heidi smile her thanks. The song grew in its intensity as it climbed toward its end. When the final note died out she thanked the crowd very simply before she looked at the keys in concentration.

She played the opening bars of "My Immortal" and the crowd nearly took the roof off of the building in their response. It was so loud that I could just barely hear the piano above the din of the crowd. I, like most of the occupants of the room, was on my feet clapping and cheering along side the people below. But when she opened her mouth to sing, I was stunned.

The crowd sang the song to her.

She was obviously surprised at the response but never stopped singing. Every line, every lyric echoed with the voice of twelve thousand people. Everyone in the small booth of our family was singing along with the mass of people below. My parents, my brothers, even the Forks crew had joined in the appreciative serenade from the fans. By the time she got to the first chorus, she could barely contain her joy.

"You guys sing it," she said with a smile to the hundreds of cell phones that were raised in the air.

She just barely whispered the first line, the crowd singing at full volume. She continued to play but let them shout the lines. They never missed a beat. I was so proud of her at that moment, I could have burst. The song that had been born of overwhelming grief had now become a signature piece for the band. I knew that this song would still be the quintessential EverClear song. Five, ten, even twenty years from now, this would be one of the songs that immediately came to mind of anyone who mentioned the band's name.

The audience continued to sing with her as she sang the next verse. Her voice was building with the adrenaline of the song. I'd heard her sing this many times, most of which were spent staring into her eyes. But I had never heard her sing it with such raw abandon.

"I knew the first time I heard her sing this that it was a masterpiece," Heidi said from my right. She turned to face me briefly. "She deserves to be happy. Don't ever forget this song and where it came from."

"I won't," I said as Bella began the second chorus. Even though the audience was still singing every word with her, she sang with the full power of her incredible range. It was a remarkable feat that her voice was so much stronger than the crowds', given the sheer number of competing voices.

When she sang the bridge, she looked up at me. Her eyes were shining with tears of happiness. I sang the words back to her, hoping that she could see just how much I loved her. When the band joined in to finish the song, the room erupted into a deafening thunder of applause. They all seemed to be basking in the adoration of the people in front of them. Felix played his drums wildly as JP and Dimitri slung their heads around dramatically.

When the song came to a close, the noise level had reached such proportions that it was just possible to hear the closing notes of the piano. As the last notes faded out, the lights on the stage went down slowly until there was blackness once again blanketing the instruments. As they left the stage, the dim lights from the backstage area illuminated the figures as they walked off. I was delighted to see them all grab each other in giant hugs as they reveled in the response from the crowd. JP picked Bella up and swung her around like they were children, her head tossed back laughing.

"I have to go Heidi," I said, the goofy smile still plastered on my face. "I'm playing with them next set."

"Of course. If it's alright, I'd like to stay with Marcus," she said as Chip kissed her cheek and left the room with Alice again.

"Please. We'd love for you to stay. Should I say anything?" I hoped she would let me tell JP she was here with us but I wanted to make sure it was her choice.

"Tell Bella I said hello. But, for now, don't say anything to him."

I leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. She didn't flinch at the coolness of my body, making me wonder if she too knew what we were.

"I'm glad you're here. We'll see you after the show, right?"

"Right," she said with a smirk that looked so much like a JP smirk that I was a little taken back.

**Chapter Notes: Thanks to everyone that checked out the new story. English Rose is nothing like EverClear or Revamped and I appreciate all your support. Further updates will be done under the penname the Lion and the Lamb for those of you that liked it. For those of you that didn't…I understand. **

**Having said that, I have a new story outlined for when EverClear finishes up that I think you guys are going to like. We probably have 3 more chapters here and then 2 epilogues. But I won't keep you waiting for too long.**

**Hit that button below!! I think we can probably make it to the magic number of 1000 with this chapter!!!! **


	30. Chapter 30Outtake

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**Hello my pervling darlings! Happy New Moon weekend to everyone.**

**I have been out of commission for way too long and have missed you guys terribly. Real life and a rather crappy vacation delayed Revamped much longer than I ever anticipated. I am very sorry to everyone who has been patiently waiting and thank you guys for sticking with me.**

**We finally made it to 1000 reviews and as promised…the infamous outtake. This picks up at the end of "A Night to Remember". It doesn't have any bearing on the plot of the story; it just refused to get out of my head until it was written.**

**A brief warning. For those of you that are very strictly canon fans, you may want to skip this. I had a ball writing it but some of you guys that are more hardcore Bella and Edward fans may be turned off by this. If you keep reading, don't say I didn't warn you.**

Outtake

EPOV

I felt more human than I could remember feeling in a very long time as I sat on the hard bench that had been my home for the last several hours. The emotions of the night mixed with the assaulting feelings of the morning were spinning in my head, creating a vortex of understanding that was almost unmanageable in its intensity. Love, loss, fear, acceptance, forgiveness and regret were all battling for dominance as I gripped the two humans in my arms tightly.

The tiny frame of my wife sat in my lap in a now familiar intimate manner that never failed to ignite my unrestrained passion for her. The calming smell of her natural fragrance filled my senses with peace and want in equal measure even as her tears fell onto our chests. Her warm body, pressed so tightly against mine, betrayed her emotions by reacting to my touch. Even as her mind swirled and her heart broke, her body called for the friction it craved. The burning heat of her core as she straddled my lap increased with each soft rock and every tender touch I made in my effort to calm her.

She shook in the arms of the two of us. It was a new, slightly unsettling, sensation to feel her entwined so intimately with me while also in the arms of another man. His own forceful reaction to the pain of knowing he was going to loose her was neither unexpected nor unfamiliar. I knew how impossibly hard it was to let go of the amazing woman we both loved. I had more compassion for him in that moment than for any human I'd ever come into contact with. He was saying goodbye to her and her to him.

And it was killing him as surely as it had killed me when I'd done the same thing.

I wanted desperately to take the pain from them both. Neither deserved to suffer the loss that my very existence was creating. I'd accepted that Bella was resolute in her decision to join me but the guilt that she'd had to make that decision at all was staggering. Corrosive guilt because if I was truly honest with myself, it was what I had longed for almost from the moment we'd met. I wanted her to be like me, with me. She was mine in every sense of the human world but I wanted her to be mine in every sense of my world as well. I always had even when I was too cowardly to admit it to myself.

JP shifted his weight on his knees as he adjusted his grip on us. His head was buried in the small sliver of space between Bella's chest and mine. His grip was so tight it was possibly painful to her. His breathing was ragged and his heart raced with the tumultuous emotions that racked his body. He loved her as surely as I did, even if it was a different type of love. They had both been broken for so long and had found comfort in each other. They brought out both the best and worst in each other and both were struggling to let go.

I looked hard at the man that I'd met for the first time less than two months ago. Our fist encounter had been nearly as emotional as this moment was; only the emotions were violent and abrasive. Anger and possessiveness had swarmed both of us as we'd faced off but out intent, even then, had been the same. To love Bella. JP was the most openly honest person I'd ever met. His thoughts were never hidden and never deviated from the words that came out of his mouth. He was crass and filterless most of the time with one of the strangest senses of humor I'd ever encountered. But he, like her, was genuine. He wore his heart on his sleeve, never pretending to be something he wasn't. Never putting on pretenses or airs.

I wanted to ease the suffering of the both of them. I wanted to replace the pain and loss they were both drowning in with something else. But I had no idea how to do that. What could I possibly offer either one of them that would replace the raw hurt they were both struggling to overcome? What could I give them that would be of enough significance to replace the acidic emotion they were feeling?

It was JP that gave me the answer.

His hands kneaded into our skin as he tried to control his tears. I felt his fingers grip Bella's ribs tightly, his hand less than an inch below my arm as I held her to me. The thought that flickered in the recesses of his mind was fleeting and indistinct but it was there. In that moment, he wanted her. Wanted to replace the void of emotions that her leaving would create with a memory of her physically. It was not the first time he'd had such thoughts. All too often, his mind wandered down a carnal path that led to my wife. But he was the one exception to my raging possessiveness when it came to Bella. Because he loved her as much as I did. Generally, it was a platonic familiar love but there had been more than one occasion as he'd watched her on stage or fought with her behind the scenes or kidded with her on the bus that his mind conjured images of the two of them entwined together in positions that were anything but friendly. And I couldn't fault him for it. They had lived and worked and played together for so long that it seemed unnatural for those thoughts not to be present.

I inhaled the salty floral smell of the woman in my arms very deeply several times, trying to organize my own thoughts. Could I give her to him, this one time? I had no doubt that being as passionate as she was that the same thoughts had flickered through her steel mind during their time together. Their touches and hugs were too reverent for her not to have thought the same things. I was the reason that she had never acted on them and he respected her too much to ever jeopardize the relationship they had. But what if they could have all that their hearts and bodies craved? Could I give her the final thing she, as well as he, needed to be able to let go?

The answer was simple.

Yes and no.

I could let them cave to their desires for one shared experience that would give them the peace they needed to move forward. There was nothing I wouldn't give my Bella; particularly something she needed to heal her heart. Even the touch of another man wasn't beyond what I would do for her. But I could not walk away from her pain. I needed to be part of that experience to ensure that she was okay. I knew physically that he would never hurt her but emotionally…well, that was a different story. Even though I knew he would never do anything intentionally to upset her, the force of the emotions that coursed through them both was intense enough to be unstable in their manifestations. I could, would be the stabilizing factor in their acceptance of this final missing act in their relationship. So I closed my eyes and took a final deep breath in an attempt to ready myself for something I'd never imagined I could ever do in more than one hundred years.

I removed my hand from her waist and gently lifted it to her jaw. I tilted her head away from my chest and stared into her ancient eyes. There was love and sadness behind the tears that pooled there. Her cheeks were streaked with her tears and flushed with both emotion and the excursion of her sobbing. Without thinking anymore about what I was going to instigate, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers.

Her response was immediate, even given her current emotional state. The soft warm lips that drew me to her like a moth to flame molded to my own. With no hesitation, she opened her mouth as I gently lapped at her pouty bottom lip. The heat and warmth of her mouth as I slid my tongue slowly into her was intoxicating. It made no matter how many times I kissed her, every time was glorious in her acceptance of my body into hers. I tightened my fingers around the back of her neck as she angled her head to allow me to deepen the kiss. Slowly, languorously our tongues danced and darted against each other. The heat of her skin rose, as did her heart rate as I tried to show her my love and understanding of her pain.

With a soft clearing of his throat, JP shifted uncomfortably. He pulled his chest back and watched us kiss, fighting the urge to turn his eyes away. A part of him, the protector that was never far from the surface, felt strange at his proximity to such an intimate moment. It was the same part of him that had flipped the switch on the monitor in the security room as Bella had seduced me. But the voyeur in him watched with rapt fascination and more than a little lust at our bold display. I pulled away from her, relishing the hungry look in her eyes and the increasing aroma of her arousal. With the same discipline I'd relied on for centuries, I slid the hand that had been resting on his shoulders during our embrace to the back of his neck.

He looked wide eyed at me, trying to decipher the meaning of my actions. I held them both firmly, trying to will them to understand what I was doing without having to say the words. His mind flew in a dozen directions at once as he looked at me. He wanted what I was offering but was unsure of my reaction. I nodded once.

The flicker of primal attraction replaced the haunting pain that had been in his eyes just moments before. He turned his gaze to her in an attempt to gauge her reaction. She looked frightened at the energy growing between the three of us but no less aroused than she had been moments ago, confirming for me that I was doing the right thing. I gently pushed their heads toward each other with my palms and held my breath for their responses.

JP stroked her cheek softly with the back of his hand and gave her a quick reassuring smile before he leaned in further. I almost laughed as I heard her heart falter for a single beat. Adrenaline and want were coursing through her veins as surely as the sweet blood that sang to me. He locked his eyes with hers as he tentatively leaned forward and placed a very light kiss on her slightly agape mouth. I pushed him forward again with the hand locked on his neck and he reclaimed her lips again. The second kiss was neither hesitant nor gentle. Almost forcefully, he parted her lips with his tongue. Both of his hands came to the sides of her face as he tilted her head to allow him better access. Every few seconds I saw a glimpse of the silver stud in his tongue as he pushed it into the wet heat of her mouth and I wondered if she could feel it against her own tongue.

Her hand gripped the hair at the back of my neck as tightly as she was capable of as he continued to kiss her. Whimpering moans from both of them filled the air as I watched in perverse fascination. She broke the kiss but did not pull away from him. Instead she pulled me toward her as his mouth latched onto the supple skin of her neck. I leaned in hungrily and shoved my tongue down her throat, claiming and relinquishing her simultaneously. It was an odd sensation to feel him moving against my chest as he worked his way steadily down the elegant column of her neck. Not necessarily unpleasant but odd none the less.

The soft moan that escaped into my mouth sent a wave of fire down my back. I released her lips only because of the labored heaving of her oxygen deprived chest. She stared back at me wild eyed. As if of their own accord, my hands grasped the soft cotton of the button down that hid her from me and pulled harshly. The tinkling of the buttons as they scattered across the hardwood floor did little to distract me from the perfection of her breasts.

Greedily, I latched on to the hardened tip of her nipple. Practice and experience had shown me exactly how much strength to use as I sucked the delicate skin into my mouth. When the moan that escaped from her mouth increased in volume, I knew I had judged correctly and I smiled against her skin. My tongue made small passes over the rich pink skin in concentric circles, causing her back to arch in her attempt to push more of herself into my mouth.

The loud groan she let out at the precise moment her back arched forcefully and the keys of the piano tinkling nonsensically told that JP's journey down the expanse of her throat had ended in the same destination mine had, just on the opposite side. Without looking at him, I increased the pressure against her and brought my hand to cup the satin skin of the side of her breast.

Like coordinated attacks, the two of us moved against her, never breaking contact and never interfering with each others movements. I could hear his heart beating so quickly it was nearly dangerous as he let himself fall deeper into the experience and the muted grunts of pleasure against her skin were growing more primal with each passing second. But her panting and the unconscious to and fro movements of her hips was what finally allowed me to release the last vestiges of doubt as to my actions.

The rapidly increasing scent of her wetness surrounded the three of us like a blanket as we worked in unison to bring her right to the edge of orgasm. For all the beauty that I'd seen in the world, for all that she'd shown me, the sight of Bella coming was by far the most astounding of them all. I wanted, surprisingly, to watch him as he witnessed that same sight for the first time.

My hand slipped down across her prominent rib cage, over her hip and settled on the soft curve of her ass. I palmed her cheek, urging her to speed her movements. I knew the second her orgasm became imminent by the rise in temperature of her ivory skin as her blush rose up her body. With a final tug against the puckered skin, I raised my head. The sight before me was almost too much to take in. Her head was thrown back against the lid of the piano, her hair piling on the keys below. Her mouth was parted and her eyes were closed tightly against the early morning sunlight and the bombarding sensations of our hands and mouths. The deep tint of her skin gave away the intensity of her reaction as she was inundated with our touches. I could see the faint contracting of the muscles in her stomach as her release inched closer and closer to the point of explosion. I had expected to feel a surge of jealousy at seeing JP's body bowed around her, exploring her. But the sight of the deep contrast of his dark dreadlocks against the pale skin of her torso only added to the mounting lust that permeated the room.

"Let go baby," I whispered to her as I stared unabashedly at her. Her head shook back and forth, obviously not in defiance but in the current of the pleasure her body was trying to contain. "Just relax and let it all go. Cum for me, Bella."

I pulled her hips harder against me as she continued to grind herself into my lap. JP's hand had taken my place on her chest as his mouth continued to lap against the nipple he'd claimed. When she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, I knew it was only a matter of seconds before she lost control completely.

"Come on baby, give it to me," I growled. As the words left my mouth, I noticed that JP bit down on the soft skin of her breast. I watched fascinated as she came hard against my lap. Her hands, which had been grasped tightly in both my hair and his, shook with the force of her explosion. She cried out into the electrified air of the room in a voice very reminiscent of her voice on stage.

"Jesus Christ," I heard him moan against her skin as the intense smell of her sweet pussy flooded the space around us. "So fuckin' amazin'."

I nudged him away from her body with a jerk of my elbow. He looked at me, alarmed at first but then relaxed when he saw my hands sliding around her body. My beautiful Bella was still half laying on the piano, her body still spasming sporadically as the waves of pleasure slowly subsided. With a quick yank, I pulled her fully against my chest as I rose from the bench. Her eyes flew open at the sudden movement and I was astounded at what I saw.

Every time she looked at me, I could clearly see love and pride shining in her eyes. Lust and want were also common emotions that I could see in her gaze. But the raw animalistic desire that blazed from her dark eyes was shocking in its primality. She wrapped her arms around my neck, clinging to me and attacked my neck as I crossed the room toward the slowly dying fire.

"Grab a couple of blankets," I called to JP but he was already ahead of my train of thought. He was reaching into the small closet just off the hallway, pulling the linens blindly from the shelves while he watched me carry her to the center of the room. Her teeth bit harshly into the juncture where my neck and shoulder met, eliciting a growl of pure wanton desire from me.

I understood that while I was at peace with the situation, I could not carry her to our bed. There was something reverent about our bed and no matter how pure and loving our actions were at the moment with the man that had become such a powerful friend to us both, our bed was ours alone. In a rushed haste that amused me, I watched JP fling the blankets on the floor and randomly pull pillows from the couch onto the pallet. Had Bella not been so lost in her desire, I was sure she would have laughed at his antics as well. As it was, she seemed almost ravenous in her pursuit to claim every inch of my skin she could reach.

I dropped to my knees with her body still wrapped around me. As I leaned forward to lay her down, JP reached out and cradled her upper body in his hands. We lowered her to the ground with the delicacy of a piece of glass. Her breathing was harsh as she cut her eyes from me to JP and then back again. She watched silently as he shed the bathrobe that barely hung on his shoulders. From his position on his knees at her head, she was looking straight up at his extremely prominent erection as is tented from beneath his boxer shorts.

With a deceivingly innocent smile, she raised herself on her up on one elbow as her hand reached for him. He lowered himself to her and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss as his hands tugged at the soft material of the dress shirt away from her body. I took in the beauty of her body spread out over the stark white blankets, the fire light dancing over her skin and the light of dawn reaching out to her and shimmering against the light sheen of perspiration that now covered her body.

She broke the kiss and looked down at me, kneeling at her feet. Without breaking eye contact, she reached up and slipped her hand into the waist band of the boxers that seemed ready to explode with the urgency of his desire.

"Edward, I want you. I want your mouth on me. Please, baby," she moaned as she slid the fabric down as far as she could to his bent legs. Sensually, she then turned her gaze on him, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. I knew the power she wielded with those eyes and that whatever came out of her mouth, he would say yes to. "And I want you in my mouth."

We launched ourselves at her naked body at the exact same moment. The sheer eroticism of her blunt words and the pull of her body drew us in as nothing ever had before. I slid myself down the length of her body, relishing even the slightest skin to skin contact. The moment I reached the apex of her thighs, I clamped my mouth against the folds of the delectable warmth that was Bella.

The taste was so exquisite that I groaned deeply against her, sending the vibrations of my sounds deep into her enflamed tissue. I lapped at the silky folds over and over, drinking down every drop of her essences as her hips writhed and twisted in my grasp. When she let out a strangled cry that was muffled, I cut my eyes to her, never breaking contact with her skin.

JP was still on his knees above her and her neck was arched back giving her access to him. Her lips were wrapped around him, drawing him in to the very back of her throat. His face was a composite of tranquility and pleasure blending into one expression. In and out of her mouth, he gently pushed his hips. Slow and steady. He kept a rhythm that was of his own making. Watching her chest heave with the labor of breathing through her nose was so erotic I wondered briefly if I would be able to restrain the beast within me.

It was a very short amount of time later that I felt the muscles of her legs begin to contract again. I slowly circled her clit with my tongue as I slid two fingers into the unbelievable heat of her body. I pumped my hand in and out, each pass increasing the force of her pleasure. I looked up again and nearly came myself when I saw that he was fully sheathed in her mouth. His hand gripped the back of her head. He wasn't forcing himself into her waiting lips but rather helping her keep a steady rhythm. The look on his face was nothing short of fascination as he watched her take him in over and over. He seemed transfixed by her every action.

When she started moaning around him, I knew it was only a very short amount of time before they both reached their peak. I slipped my fingers from her only long enough to reposition them lower. I slid my still soaked finger into her rear entrance as I slid two fingers of my left hand back into her pussy. The feeling of entering her so completely while still being able to taste her on my lips was quite possibly the most erotic thing I'd ever experienced. I gently pumped my fingers into her in opposite timing of one another. And from the sounds of her groaning and grunting into his pelvis, she was right on the very edge.

"Shit…Bella…I'm gonna cum," he rasped out, obviously trying to give her warning. But my beautiful girl simply reached up and pulled him closer to her, burying her nose against his pelvic bone in offering. The primal scream of pure pleasure he let loose told me the exact moment he came in her mouth. As I heard his voice fading out in volume, I sucked her clit into my mouth once again, more forcefully. The combination of my hands and mouth together with his taste in her mouth sent her over the edge for the second time. If I'd thought her first orgasm was powerful, I'd be sorely mistaken. This second orgasm literally locked every muscle in her body down for several seconds. In her lost state, JP slipped from her mouth mid stream and shot two streams of his own cum across her neck and collarbones. Again, I expected jealousy at seeing his jizz cover her body but I was surprised that I found none. It was oddly erotic.

As the last waves of her explosion subsided, I became aware of my own growing need. Dressed only in the fitted slacks of my tuxedo from the night before, my cock was straining painfully against the zipper as I watched them both gasp for breath. While they each took a moment to regain their composure, I shed the uncomfortable trousers and resumed my position between Bella's legs. Very softly, I ran my fingertips from her thighs to her ankles in soothing gestures. She cut her eyes to me and smiled the most beautiful grin at me. There was so much love in her gaze that I nearly forgot that we were indeed in the middle of a ménage a trios.

"I love you," she whispered. The emotions of just a little while ago were long gone. The fear and pain that had been written all over her face just minutes ago was replaced with want and desire tinged with appreciation. Before I had a chance to respond to her though, the wicked smirk I had grown to both fear and love made an appearance. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rolled over onto her stomach. Quick as lightening, she was on all fours with her perfect ass staring me in the face. The sight of her in that position and looking over her shoulder knowingly made me groan with anticipation.

I followed her eyes back toward JP who was staring with something akin to astonishment at her. His thoughts were a jumble of fantasy scenarios that played through his head in rapid succession and disbelief that the vixen on the floor between us was a virgin just a couple of short months ago. She very slowly inched her way backwards until she pressed my erection between her cheeks. Her hair tickled my stomach as she slowly straightened up, leaving me pressed tightly against her until her back was against my chest. Without any thought to the action, I wrapped my arm around her waist just as she slinked her arm backwards and around my neck. Very deliberately and very slowly she swayed her hips back and forth, creating the slightest friction as she held me tightly in her grasp.

"I know you've been curious about how my vampire husband fucks me," she purred to a now completely astonished JP. He was quite used to the vixen on stage but in the confines of their real lives, he was flabbergasted at her ridiculously sexy demeanor. "Want to watch?" she asked coyly as she grasped the hand I has resting on her waist and entwined our fingers. Staring him in the eye as he nodded mutely, she slowly slid our hands down her body until my fingers came to rest on her soaking wet pussy. The slick wetness coated my finger on contact and made her growl in response.

"Now baby, if we're going to show him," I said sweetly as I grabbed myself and positioned my head against her entrance, her hand still holding tightly to the hair at the nape of my neck, "Then he needs to see it up close and personal."

The look on JP's face was obviously confusion mixed with extreme lust. It would have been laugh worthy had my wife not chosen that exact moment to wiggle her backside against me, sending a wave of shivers down my back.

"JP, come here. Sit back on your feet directly in front of Bella." I watched as he slowly scooted himself closer to us until his knees were touching hers. I untangled her hand from the nape of my neck and guided it toward his thigh. She immediately caught on to the position shift I was edging her toward. She leaned her upper body forward and gripped both of his thighs in her hands as she rose slightly and spread her knees apart. He seemed transfixed by her every movement. Slowly, I slid into her dripping heat, a growl escaping my lips at the exact same moment she moaned. I knew she was looking him directly in the eye as I filled her. I could see her fingers digging into the pale flesh of his legs as I began to rock against her, a soft slapping sound echoing through the room as my hips met her backside over and over again.

"Jesus, Bella," JP groaned as he watched the pleasure burn in her eyes as she pushed herself back against me, her body begging for a deeper penetration. Her steady stream of soft curses and gasps for breath as I drove into her over were driving both of us simply mad. "So fuckin' beautiful."

I gripped her hips tighter as I sped my movements, trying to drive her to orgasm yet again. With a stunning fierceness, she leaned forward and kissed him harshly. Her muffled sounds were nearly my undoing as I watched his body spasm from the effort it was taking for him to maintain his own control. After just a few seconds and with her tongue still deep in his mouth, he finally cracked. His right hand threaded in her hair and his left hand slowly reached out toward her body. In her position on her knees in front of me, I knew that the moment he touched her she would begin the rapid climb toward her explosion. Bella had always been incredibly responsive to my touch and realistically, there weren't many ways that we couldn't bring each other pleasure beyond measure. But taking her from behind had always, from that very first time together in the shower the morning after we were married, been the most direct approach to both of us falling over the edge. The additional stimulation of his hand would most likely be more than she could withstand for any great amount of time and I couldn't wait to watch them both when it hit.

I pumped into her harder still as I felt the feather-light brushes of his fingers as he found her clit. Almost instantly, her body tensed and her heart rate sped. I felt the muscles deep inside her tighten and I had to concentrate not to loose myself in the incredible sensations of her inner walls clamping down around me. He had yet to release her mouth but it was clear from her muted grunts that she was seconds away from coming. JP broke the kiss but held her head so that he stared into her eyes. I felt the motion of his fingers as they sped up in their movements against her clit.

"Cum for me Bella. All over my fucking hand."

And come she did. With a loud cry of ecstasy, her body spasmed around my cock and his fingers simultaneously. I could feel that he had not let up in his ministrations even as the walls of her pussy clamped down around me like a vice. I slowed my own pace and leaned forward to kiss her back, the action as much to calm myself as her. After what seemed like forever, she slowly began to regain her composure. The aroma in the air was pure unadulterated lust as the flood of moisture from her core seeped down her thighs. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, basking in the glorious assault of her scent.

When I opened my eyes, I realized that JP had moved away from her slightly. Before either Bella or I could ask him what he was doing, he had flipped himself onto his back and was inching himself backwards. Realization dawned on both my wife and I at the same moment. His action was somewhat shocking considering that Bella and I were still very much connected and very much active in our own coupling but the deep rooted desire was too much for me to even care. I slowed my movements again, allowing him to position himself underneath her so that his mouth was perfectly aligned with her glistening lips.

She was still propped up on her hands, resting on either side of his body as he latched on to her core. I could feel his head against my shaft as I moved in and out of her and I knew that he was sucking feverishly on her clit. If his fingers had driven her to the point of orgasm quickly, his tongue would do the job in seconds. And all the while, I thrust my cock into the tight heat of her perfect pussy.

"Ahh….oh, shit," she panted as her arms gave out. Her upper body fell so that she rested with her cheek lying on his stomach as he lapped at her juices with feral need. I could feel her body tensing again and decided to let her take me with her over the edge this time. With her ass in the air and her back arched, I sped up, pumping into her at a pace that was just this side of human. I could still feel him rubbing against me occasionally as he worked her body desperately but the feeling was so fucking amazing, I couldn't be bothered to be uncomfortable.

"Bella, I want you to cum all over his fucking face," I said in a low growl. Both of them gasped at my words, spurring me on to an even greater speed. "Come on baby, cum for us."

She screamed at the top of her lungs as another violent orgasm overtook her. With three more quick thrust, I joined her in her and together we rode out the all consuming waves of addictive pleasure that coursed through us. I was absolutely lost in the feeling of her body as she pushed against me forcefully. I tried and failed to contain my roar as I shot my load deep inside of her. The sound of our combined release was apparently too much for JP to handle as well. With lightening speed, he pulled out from under her even as she was still caught up in the wrenching grips of her release. His movement was so fast that her upper body dropped unceremoniously to the soft blankets beneath us.

"I need to fuck you, right now," he said desperately, his eyes wild. He lay back against the edge of the couch, his back propped up slightly so that he could watch her. He gently tugged on her wrist, pulling her up his chest until she straddled him. There was no tinge of jealousy as I watched him guide his pierced cock toward her. I'd expected to feel at the very least uncomfortable as I watched the two of them come together but there was nothing except understanding.

She was fucking glorious as she lowered herself onto him, taking him in to the hilt in one movement. Her skin was slick with sweat, intensifying her already maddening aroma, and her body was flushed with the exertion of our actions. She sat upright on him, her hands braced against his chest as she slowly worked herself up and down on him. With every pass, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he let out a soft needful wail. Her back was arched and her hair clung to her skin as she rode him. I watched in fascination as her body reacted to yet another onslaught of sensations.

They had settled into a steady rhythm, each of them giving to and taking from the other the love and comfort that they desired. His hands roamed from her waist up her ribcage and back down in a constant circuit of contentment. They didn't speak but simply let their bodies convey the deep seeded emotions that were being exorcized at this one time union.

"Edward," she panted, her head turned slightly over her shoulder to look at me. "Come here please."

I crawled to them tentatively, unsure of what she would request but knowing that whatever it was, I would give it to her. JP was stretched out with his legs in front of him as I placed my own knees on the outside of his legs, bringing my chest flush with her back. I gently stroked her arms with my fingertips as I lowered my head to kiss her bare shoulder, her hips pushing against me as she fucked the man below her. The look on JP's face was utter bliss as he watched her every move.

"Do you trust me?" she asked between stuttering breaths.

"Of course. Tell me what you want baby."

"I want you…now…I…I want you both."

The images that flew into JP's mind at her words were unmistakable. As was her intent.

Mother. Of. God.

"Baby, are you sure?" I asked, internally pleading that I was correct in what I thought she was asking and that she was sure of what she was requesting.

"Yes. I want you…I want to fuck you both."

Rock hard wasn't even close to the correct description of the state of my dick at her words. I had figured out early on that Bella liked it when I used my fingers on her ass. But we had never even come close to exploring what she was in essence demanding from me now. I was all too happy to comply with her request.

She rose up off of him just as she arched her back even further, offering herself to me once again. JP steadied her by holding her gently at her ribcage as I plunged myself into her incredible wetness several times, coating myself with her natural juices. There would be no need for any other type of lubricant. She was more than wet enough, even now, to completely soak me the instant we made contact.

I sucked my finger into my mouth, wetting the digit, as I slowly resumed fucking her. With deliberate slowness, I ran my finger up and down her ass, adding a little more pressure with each pass. I eased the finger into her tight entrance and began to move in and out in time with my hips. The additional stimulation caused her to gasp but not in pain. She was losing herself in the physical pleasure of our love. I added a second finger after just a few minutes, stretching her as carefully as possible. I knew that this would be similar to our first time together. There would be a few moments of pain. That was unavoidable. But I hoped that the resulting pleasure afterwards would make it worth it.

"Are you sure Bella?"

"Yes!" she screamed into the morning air. "I want you to fuck…my ass…now!"

God damned if she wasn't the sexiest thing in the world.

"Your wish, my command."

JP wore a look of sheer excitement as he watched us above him. I slowly eased both my fingers and my cock from her body. Without any prompting, JP pulled her toward his chest and braced her for my entrance. He kissed her gently but meaningfully as I gripped my soaked member and eased it between the soft curves of her rear. As slowly as possible, I eased my head into the excruciatingly tight entrance. I held still as I felt her breath catch in her chest at the pain, fighting the intense urge to pound myself into her.

"Baby, are you alright?"

She held very still for a few moments before she nodded her head yes. Still moving with caution, I eased myself in little by little. When I crossed her natural barrier, I groaned at the feel of her completely engulfing me. Her body shook slightly but she moved her hips moved in tiny thrusts against me, telling me that she wanted more. It seemed like forever as I eased my cock in inch by inch until I was finally fully sheathed inside her.

"Oh, God," she moaned as she ground her ass against my hips.

"Fucking hell," I purred at the same moment.

We moved cautiously but with a steadily increasing rhythm against each other, until she had fully relaxed and the pain seemingly dissipated completely. JP watched the two of us for just a few minutes before his own desire engulfed him once again. He stretched his hand up and tapped my fingers where they were wrapped around her hips, silently asking me to still my movements. He slid down until his back was once again on the blankets and his dick was just below her still sopping core. With one hand, he rubbed his head against her folds, teasing her clit and causing her to shudder with each pass.

"Alright Bells, tell me if it's too much," he said sweetly as he entered her. I growled as the already tight feel of her surrounding me increased as he eased his way into her pussy. Her cry was not of pain but pure unrestrained pleasure. It took everything I had not to move against her, against the unfathomable tightness. But I wanted to make sure that it wasn't too much for her, that she wasn't hurting. I could feel JP beneath us as he thrust his hips slowly but persistently. With every movement, I felt her muscles tighten. Clearly, yet another orgasm was inevitable as her body was assaulted with erotic sensations.

"I love you," I said gruffly as I leaned forward and kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear. She lifted one of the hands she had braced against his chest and wrapped it around my neck backwards, holding me to her. With the smallest amount of pressure I was capable of, I pushed my hips forward just as JP pulled back.

"Ahh….God help me," she gasped at the same time I groaned into her neck. The physical sensation combined with the knowledge that we were engaged in so many taboo acts was phenomenal. It was a plethora of eroticism that I had never even imagined.

We found a steady rhythm between the three of us. Her body reacted to even the smallest movement from either of us and we in turn were more focused on her than ever before. In and out we pushed against each other as the walls of her core grew increasingly erratic in their reactions. I had no idea how long we stayed on floor in front of the fire, revealing in each other's bodies and the boundless emotions that flew between all of us. I watched as Bella kissed JP passionately while gripping me tightly to her from behind and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that our connection was stronger than ever. They were letting go of each other after years of depending on one another for every conceivable form of emotional support. They looked to each other for comfort, humor, love, friendship, inspiration and challenge just to name a few. And this final act together would both seal their places in each other's hearts and allow them to let go when the time came.

I'd have never thought it possible but we all three climaxed together, our bodies igniting and reacting to each other in a perfectly timed explosion of shouts and grunts. Bella literally collapsed onto JP's chest once her orgasm had finally run its course. She was covered in sweat, her hair matted as she lay on his nearly as exhausted body. I slowly eased myself out of her ass, amazed that she had been so turned on by the act. With a soft kiss directly on her left butt cheek, I stood and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water for each of them. I listened as they both said "I love you" very sincerely and then sighed against each other. Knowing that they were both probably uncomfortable, I also decided to bring them warm cloths to clean up with. As I stood in the bathroom waiting for the water to heat enough, I heard both of their heart rates returning to normal and their breathing becoming steadier and less labored. When I walked back into the large room, the sight that greeted me made me laugh.

JP was still stretched out on his back, completely naked and sound asleep. His mouth was open slightly and a quiet snore echoed through the room. Bella was stretched out on her side gazing into the last embers of the fire as I sat down behind her and gently wiped her luminous skin with the washcloth. She leaned her body back against me, a lazy smile on her lips even as her eyes closed in exhaustion.

"I didn't think it was possible for me to love you any more Edward," she said softly. "How can I ever thank you for sacrificing so much for me. I can't imagine how hard that was for you."

"Baby, I've told you before; there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. The two of you needed that to say goodbye. I'm just glad you let me give it to you," I said as I kissed her temple. "Sleep my angel," I said as her body fully relaxed against me and her heart rate slowed to a pace I knew ushered in a deep sleep.

I lay beside her for more than an hour, just watching the two of them as they dreamt. In more than a hundred years, I'd never imagined I would find myself a willing participant in such an unrestrained act. Her whispered repeating of my name mingled with his increasingly loud snores made for the most calming melody I could imagine. I knew that when they woke, they would instantly revert back to their normal behaviors with each other and all traces of the intimacy we'd shared would be buried deep within their hearts never to be spoken of again. But the peace and serenity of our time together would stay with them, and me, forever.

**Chapter Notes: I am dying to hear from you guys! Let me know what you think about our little deviant escapade. Keep your fingers crossed and send me ESP hugs and we may get Chapter 30 tomorrow!**

**As always, thank you to the Twi-Tinis for the love and the laughter. From Edward panties to New Moon tweets, you guys keep my laughing on a daily basis!**


	31. Chapter 31Round Two?

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**Happy New Moon weekend to everyone! Have we all seen it multiple times by now?**

**This chapter was getting ridiculously long, so I split it. The good news is that you should get the next installment very quickly. Just a couple of days.**

**Thanks to the Twi-Tinis for…well, everything from moral support on the outtake to Edward panties and Gene Simmons tongues. Shannon, thanks for the great midnight premiere company. **

Chapter 30- Round Two?

BPOV

I was literally bouncing up and down as I waited for Edward to enter the dressing room. From the moment I'd laid eyes on Heidi, sitting so peacefully in the box with the rest of our family, my heart has soared. He'd told me he would find her and find her he did. Chip and Alice were hurriedly moving around the room behind me, getting my outfit for the next set ready. But I was wholly uninterested in anything but grilling Edward on Heidi.

"You're making me sea sick," Chip snorted as he watched me all but come unglued as I waited for Edward to enter the room. "Relax baby girl, he'll be in here in just a minute."

I watched transfixed as the handle to the door turned slowly, almost as if from a horror movie. He peaked around the door and smiled brilliantly as his eyes found me. He stepped in and closed the door behind him quickly. I barely gave him time to turn around before I launched myself at him.

"Oh God, Edward! You did it," I squealed as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted me off the ground, high enough that I was looking down at him. I kissed him over and over and over in my excitement as he laughed at my over exuberance.

"Chip, remind me to make her this happy more often," he quipped as he set me on my feet. "You sounded simply amazing. I have never heard you sing 'My Immortal' better than you did tonight baby."

"Thank you. But you have to tell me about her!" I squealed without releasing my stranglehold on his neck. "How did you find her? How is she? Does JP know she's here?"

"Whoa, there Speedy," Chip chuckled from behind us. "Let the man talk. And please disentangle yourself from his neck; we need to get you changed."

Reluctantly, I released my hands and took a step back from him. He was smiling as widely as I could remember in a long time. With a quick kiss, he took a few steps away from me and sank down fluidly onto the couch pulling me by the arm to his side. I could barely contain my happiness as Edward explained to me how Jasper had found her, spoken to her and convinced her to come tonight. He went on to tell me about their conversation and of her joining everyone in the VIP box.

I'd known Heidi well enough to understand just how monumental a step being here tonight was for her. When she and JP had fallen apart, I'd watched helplessly as they turned away from each other, the pain evident in both their faces. I'd also witnessed the emotional wall that JP had begun to build the very night Heidi had left become thicker and thicker with every passing year, leaving the deep seated hurt and longing raw beneath its exterior. The fact that she was here after all this time told me that maybe; just maybe, she was in a place that she could kick that wall down and bring out the loving and carefree JP that I'd met so many years ago.

"Can I tell him?" I asked as Chip handed me a towel to dry off with and a bottle of water.

"She asked me to give her a little time," he said softly as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. "She is staying for the next set but she asked that I not say anything specifically to him just yet."

"Bella, you know as well as I do that he'll see her during the next set. You spend far too much time on that left tower for him not to," Chip said amusedly from his seat in front of the vanity. He was focused on the piece of fabric in his hands, doing what I had no idea.

"Baby, not to sound like I don't have the utmost confidence in your ability but can you manage this set?" Edward said with hesitancy in his voice as he scanned the set list that lay on the couch next to him.

"Edward, I could manage damn near anything right now," I said honestly. I was flying with the adrenaline and energy of the night.

In Atlanta, the onslaught of emotions and electricity from the crowd had simply overwhelmed me. But here, in Seattle, where it had all started, I was feeding off of it. I felt as if I could have conquered the world at that moment. Tonight had been without a doubt the best performance of my career and the best set was yet to come. The crowd was more enthusiastic than I could ever remember having experienced before, the band was tighter than ever but most importantly, JP's chance at his own happy ending was in the house.

I drank the cold water quickly before Chip handed me the deep blue satin dress that didn't seem to be any longer than the average dish towel. I slipped the sheath on, not missing the darkening eyes of my husband as he watched me dress. Alice was immediately behind me, adjusting the tiny spaghetti straps so that there was no chance of them slipping down. The hem of the dress was just barely long enough to cover my ass and the back of the slip was cut low. So low, in fact, that I could feel the breeze from the small oscillating fan in the room on the very edge of my butt. Chip handed me a pair of dark blue stilettos with a terribly high heel to top the costume off while he threaded my crest through a thin piece of the same deep blue fabric.

"That looks like a ridiculously short version of your wedding dress," Edward said with a playful growl as I sat beside him to put on my shoes His icy fingers ran slowly down my spine and dipped below the curve of the dress, caressing my cheeks ever so softly. I shivered at his touch, earning another growl from him.

"It is her wedding dress," Alice squealed from her perch beside Chip. "With a few alterations we thought you might appreciate, dearest brother."

I watched and tried desperately not to laugh as Edward raked his hands roughly through his hair as he stared at my dress. His eyes were on fire with the images I didn't need his ability to know he was thinking about. He was not only remembering our wedding but more importantly, our wedding night. The distinct smirk he gave me only confirmed my suspicions as he continued to caress my back from the nape of my neck to my tailbone.

"Okay baby girl, this is where we take our leave," Chip said in his best imitation British accent. "You look beautiful. Now blow the lid off this place." With a wink, he leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth, fluffed my hair one more time and turned to leave.

"Bella, enjoy this. You guys will be phenomenal," Alice said earnestly. "I love you," she said with a laugh. She kissed Edward's cheek before she joined Chip at the door and the two of them left, leaving us alone for the remaining few minutes before we would take out places on stage.

"Edward, thank you. I know it sounds stupid but I have a good feeling about her being here tonight," I said as I turned to face him. I placed my hands on either side of his face and stared deeply into his eyes. "You make everything so perfect for me and I want that for him. Heidi is the only person that could do that." I leaned forward and kissed him softly.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. Instinctively, I straddled him and pressed my chest against his. But he surprised me. He held me tightly to him but did not drop his hands down to my rear or make any move to deepen the kiss.

"Are you sure about this Bella?" he asked, pain lacing the edge of his voice. "You look so happy out there tonight. So alive. Are you sure you can walk away from this? Sure that you want to?"

His sincerity was evident as he looked at me, no doubt searching for signs of uncertainty. I knew as I smiled back at him that he would find none. I leaned my forehead against his and took a few deep breaths, reveling in the unique scent of him.

"Edward, do you know why I sound so good tonight? Why I'm having so much fun?"

He shook his head back and forth.

"Because the pressure is gone. Tonight is for me. Not the band, not the fans or the label, not even for you. This is what my music started out as. Just for me. It's come full circle. I started out playing and writing to express the emotions that I couldn't put into words and I am finishing this by doing the same thing. It's just very different emotions this time."

He let out a harsh breath and then smiled at me. I could see the pain in his eyes fade as he stared back at me.

"Is there anything I can do to make tonight perfect for you?" he asked, that same sexy smirk returning to his beautiful face.

"Yes. When you get on that stage, let loose. Forget about everything but the music. Just let it take over for a little while. Sing your ass off, play your ass off. And if the mood strikes you, headbang with the rest of us. Just let it all go baby. Then tonight, after we make our obligatory appearance at the afterparty take me home and make love to me."

"That I can do," he said against my lips as he kissed me humorously.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

He stood up off the couch and placed me back on my feet. We left the dressing room hand in hand and walked the short distance up the hallway towards the stage. The guys were gathered at the edge of the stage, staring into the sea of faces as they mingled in the seats. As we approached, they turned to face us with nearly identical grins on their faces. Only JP looked even slightly guarded, the lines around his eyes tight. So when he opened his arms to me as we closed the last few steps, I dropped Edward's hand and stepped into his embrace.

"You okay," I whispered to him as he lifted me off the ground with a grunt.

"I'm good. God damn it this night couldn't be going any better if we had custom ordered it. There isn't a crowd in the world like Seattle." I could do nothing but nod my agreement and laugh at his exuberance, the secret guest still forefront in my mind.

He set me down and I turned in his arms to look out over the crowd. I was desperately trying to keep my gaze away from the box that I knew Heidi was in. Edward had been explicit in his instructions from her and I, above all people, knew how hard it would be for him to not look at her if he knew she was here. I leaned my head back against his chest as his arms settled around my waist and we both let out a sigh of contentment.

The people in the crowd were obviously becoming restless. The chatter was increasing in volume and there were the beginnings of the chant that had ushered us to the stage every time we'd taken a break over the last couple of months. I looked over at Edward, who was smiling as brightly as the rest of us. Jane was tucked under his arm comfortably as they watched JP and me. Both smiled indulgently at us as we listened to the crowd becoming more and more insistent. Felix was twirling his drumstick in his hand and Dimitri was casually standing beside him adjusting his belt.

It felt like the world was at our feet. We were all together, my family looked on from high above the stage, the crowd was about to explode in their enthusiasm and JP's happily ever after was just a whisper away. It was the perfect night for EverClear. I knew as I looked out into the crowd again, it would never get any better than this and I was thankful for the opportunity to share this with the band one more time.

The lights above the crowd dimmed and the muted mumblings grew into frenzied screams as the crowd recognized the signal that we would be returning shortly. I could feel JP tense up behind me but it was not in a frightened or anxious way. The sheer volume of the crowd had sent a shot of adrenaline straight through his body, just as it had mine.

"We ready to do this?" Dimitri asked as he looked into the audience as the lights grew progressively dimmer and the screams grew louder still.

The collective mutterings of "hell yeah" and "absolutely" made us all laugh. With a final squeeze around my waist, JP shoved me forward toward the metal stairs of the stage. I stepped up onto the first rung and turned to look at them. I wanted, needed them to know just how special tonight was to me before we took the stage together one last time.

"I love you guys," I said with the largest possible smile I could manage and still talk.

"We love you too," Jane said sweetly, still tucked against Edward's side.

"Aw, we love you too John Boy," my smart-assed best buddy said in an overly exaggerated drawl. As if on some unseen cue, all of us, Edward included, flipped our middle fingers at him. The ensuing laughter was loud enough for the people in the first couple of rows to actually hear us.

"Let's blow this motherfucker wide open," I shouted to them as we all moved to take the stage together for the last time.

Chip POV

"She going to make it through this set," I asked Alice as we climbed the stairs back toward the Cullens. She seemed to be in top form and God knew with Edward on stage, she was likely to get even more worked up as the set progressed. But still, I couldn't help but worry. Worrying was all I'd known how to do for the last five years, at least as far as Bella was concerned. But her stitches had only been out for a little over a week and her arm still bothered her much more than she wanted anyone to know, so I felt justified in my uneasiness. I couldn't even begin to imagine what her ribs felt like as she thrashed around like she was being electrocuted.

Luckily, Carlisle had helped me medicate her even when she didn't know that's what was happening.

"Better than fine," that gorgeous elfin voice called out over her shoulder as she wrenched the door open. "She and Edward are going to bring the house down," she chuckled as she walked into the arms of that tall blond sex god she called a husband.

I took my seat between Marcus and Heidi, who were talking animatedly about whether or not Sebastian should have been released. They both agreed that the answer was no but Heidi seemed to think that he should have been tortured before being locked away. I laughed as I listened to them banter as if she had never left our little family. And on this particular subject, I whole heartedly agreed with her.

She stared out across the stage just as JP caught Bella in a hug and lifted her off the ground. It was only from our position perched high above the stage that we were able to see them at all. The entire band looked relaxed and happy but none more so than JP and Bella. I watched the small smile creep across Heidi's face as also she watched them, both now facing the audience with his arms around Bella's waist. Edward, of course, looked adoringly at his wife as they all watched the crowd grow more excited.

"You know," Heidi began "I came to the hospital in Texas to see him after I heard the news."

"What!" Marcus and I both said as we turned to face her. Her eyes had yet to leave him. "Why didn't you come in?"

"I stood outside the door and l listened to what was obviously a stripper and I just couldn't go in. I didn't want to see that."

"What day was that?"

"Thursday, I think. I saw on the news the next day that she had been released."

"Oh honey," I said not trying to hide the exasperation in my voice. What was it with all these otherwise exceptionally intelligent people that made them so damned hard headed? Simple communication was all it would have taken for all of them; Baby Girl, Edward, JP and Heidi to avoid years of heartbreak and pain. I couldn't fathom how they had all been so blind to what was clearly in front of them all along. "The stripper you didn't want to see was him," I said as I nodded my head toward JP.

"What?" she asked somewhat sheepishly.

"He was stripping for her in front of all of us. Trying to make her laugh," I said exasperatedly. The look on her face was both priceless and infuriating. Between JP and Bella, there seemed to be no limit to the ridiculous comedy of errors that had kept them from being happy for so long. I felt terrible a second later though when her eyes filled with tears and she stared down into her lap. "Oh, honey, don't cry. I just wish you'd come in, that's all," I said as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her against me.

"I wouldn't have known what to say," she whispered, her voice barely discernable above the increasing roar of the crowd. The lights over the crowd went completely dark, as did the lighting over the stage. This was, as every member of the crowd below, the signal that the band was returning to the stage. The volume of the crowd shot up so loudly that it was painful. I could just make out figures of the guys as they made their way across the stage. Heidi tensed as the unmistakable form of JP and his two foot long dreadlocks took up residence on his side of the stage. She couldn't have stared at him any harder if she'd tried.

We all laughed as Edward caught Bella around the waist and kissed her before giving her a little shove toward the right side tower. He strode toward the tower in front of us with such confidence that it was almost arrogance. He took the stairs two at a time, grinning like a fool with every step.

"He is something else, isn't he," Heidi whispered loudly. She laughed as Emmett and Jasper both made gagging noises at him. With one of his drop dead, panty soaking grins, he flipped them off and then gripped the mic in his hand, waiting for the music to start.

"Yes, he is. I really want you to see them together. It almost defies reason."

Dimitri's screeching guitar cut me off. The song that had been written about Sebastian had been transformed into an Edward showcase in just a few performances. The crowd was manic in their enthusiasm as a single spotlight lit him for the thousands of fans. I laughed as I recalled the first time he'd sang this song with her. He'd been on stage right beside her but looked almost completely overwhelmed. He sounded perfect that night but he'd seemed almost scared. Nothing like the man that stood on the tower in front of us. He was every bit the performer that she was as he sang her harsh lyrics. But when another spotlight illuminated her, he seemed to glow from the inside out as he looked at her. Their voices blended flawlessly as they screamed at each other from opposite sides of the stage.

"What Have You Done" had always needed a certain amount of tension to make it work. The dynamic between Bella and Sebastian had provided that tension but it was always a tense and bordering on violent. But Edward and Bella's tension was almost x-rated as they sang together. There was no doubt that these two were completely and totally obsessed with each other. I watched as they started the second verse and both made their way off their towers and around the room.

I had thought for years that Bell's preoccupation with Edward was unhealthy and destructive. And I'd been right on some level. It was literally impossible for her to move on from him. Once I'd realized that it wasn't that she wouldn't try to heal but that she simply couldn't, I'd tried to do everything in my power to at least ease some of her suffering. That very first day in Seattle so long ago, I'd felt as if I had found the child I didn't know I was missing. Something about the fragile tortured girl that I'd found hyperventilating in the back corner of that bookstore had called to my most protective instincts. I would have loved her and wanted to take care of her regardless of what kind of personality she had. But when I discovered over four cups of coffee and three hours of tear filled conversation that underneath the crushing blanket of sorrow lie a brilliant intelligent woman that was drowning under the strain of her pain, I was hooked. She was as much a part of my family and life as Marcus was. Over the years, she'd become my best friend, my daughter, my partner in crime and my confidant.

The sigh I let escape as I watched the two of them wail the second chorus to each other was muffled in the noise of the instruments and the din of the crowd. But apparently, it was loud enough for vampiric hearing. Alice slid gracefully into the seat next to me and grabbed my hand in hers. The frigid cold of her fingers was shocking and I wondered, not for the first time, how in the hell baby girl managed not to get frost bite on her girlie parts on a nightly basis.

"What was that for?" she asked in her sing song voice. Her gorgeous golden eyes bore into mine and I figured that she already knew the answer to her question.

"Just wondering what I'm gonna do when she leaves. Who will I have to drive me crazy when they run off into the sunset?"

Bella and Edward were running down the center aisle to sing the bridge of the song, both of them smiling like fools. They were so right together, whether they were on stage singing their asses off or just laying together watching television. Their voices blended seamlessly and stirred the already rabid fans into an even greater frenzy.

"Oh, Queenie," she said as she patted my hand. "You know it won't be forever. She'll just need a little time to adjust. But you don't think that she could ever truly leave you, do you? She loves you," she finished fiercely.

"I know that. But it won't be the same as seeing her every day." I looked down onto the stage to see them singing the last verse wrapped around each other. They seemed to be physically unable to not touch each other when they were within arm's reach. "I knew the second I saw him in Atlanta that she would leave us within a year," I confessed to her understanding eyes. "But know that it's here, I…just don't know how to do it."

The band was closing the song to a whirlwind of applause and screams. The electricity in the room was unbelievable. I'd seen every conceivable type of show that EverClear had done over the last four years and never had I seen them so "on". Every single one of them was in top form and the audience was eating it up.

"Do you want me to tell you how long it will be before you see her again after she leaves," Alice offered comfortingly. The temptation to take her up on her offer was almost too much to pass up. But just knowing that I would see her again was enough.

"No thanks doll but I love you for the offer."

We both laughed as Bella kissed Edward before swatting his rock hard ass as he turned toward the piano. She was introducing "Call Me When Your Sober" when Alice's hand tightened around mine painfully. Alarmed at the unusual behavior, I looked at her frantically. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed very far away. After just a few seconds, she shook her head and looked back at me, her eyes now sharp as tacks and filled with excitement.

"Oh Chip, are you up for another round?"

"What in the crap are you talking about that has you so worked up?"

"I am talking about another emotion filled set. It might just remind you of a certain show in Atlanta not too long ago, " she smirked. She was clearly about to come out of her skin with anticipation as she cut her eyes toward the brunette beauty sitting on my right and the dreadlocked idiot on the stage.

"Oh God! Are you kidding me?" I asked in disbelief. I looked down at the stage toward JP. He was, per the norm, slinging his head around like a mad man. Bella was at the front of the stage singing at the top of her lungs the song she'd written about his less than admirable behavior over the last couple of years. It seemed grossly ironic that during this song in particular, Alice would have her vision of whatever it was that she'd seem concerning Heidi and him.

Leave it to my babes to make the last show of the tour an interesting one. She squeezed my hand reassuringly and glanced back at Heidi very quickly before she smiled her million watt smile toward the stage.

"Rock and roll fairy tale part two," I muttered to myself as I relaxed into the chair and waited to see what the night would have in store for us.

**Chapter Notes: So we're back to the story now. I appreciate everyone that left me a review on the outtake, even if the review was that you hated it. I tried to warn you. But thank you for the feedback. This one should be more along the lines of what you guys are expecting. Make me purr and I'll get another chapter out to you before Thanksgiving. Luv you guys.**


	32. Chapter 32October

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**Playlist:**

**You guys know most of the songs mentioned in this set, so I'm only going to give you the new ones. If you need to be refreshed, send me a PM and I'll give you the other songs.**

**Even In Death-Evanescence**

**October-Evanescence (acoustic version)**

**As always, these can be found on YouTube to listen to, so no need to download from Itunes.**

**See you guys at the bottom.**

Chapter 31-October

EPOV

We were fucking flying. I had been in Bella's world of performing for a very brief amount of time. But I knew, without a doubt, that at least on stage, it would never get any better than this. She'd swatted my butt playfully as I made my way back to the piano just behind her to begin "Sober" and I knew as the first notes rang out that this night would be the apex of her career. It would surpass even Atlanta in terms of sheer raw power. We'd opened the set with the song that still sent waves of anger through my body. But the combination of our voices and the joy that radiated from her eyes as she'd screamed the lyrics across the massive hall to me took away the bitter bite of the emotions the song projected.

I felt, for the first time since I'd stepped on stage with her almost two months ago, like I belonged up there with her. I was a musician, a band member. I belonged up on the tower with her. She'd given me the confidence and ability to use my voice and my instrument to convey my love for her. The songs that I'd obsessed over for so long had taken on a new meaning now. The words still haunted me at night as I watched her sleeping form. But underneath the lights of the stage and with her never farther away from me than heartbeat, I realized just how profound a writer she was. She had been right all along and I'd finally come to accept our past as part of what made us so strong.

The songs were a release of pent up pain and need. As each word fell from her mouth, a part of me let go of the remnant paint little by little. It was nearly overwhelming in its profoundness. With each passing second, I gave in to her request a little more. I was freer, happier and more relaxed than I'd ever been in over a hundred years. And as I scanned the stage, I realized that the band seemed to be in the same mode. They were all loose and grinning and playing harder than any other group of musicians I'd ever seen.

As she sang the bridge of "Sober", she stepped back behind me and ran her hand through my hair in a silent gesture of love and comfort as she sang. I smiled into the keys with each stroke, her touch a constant reminder to let go of it all and just live in the moment. The ever increasing roar of the crowd aided that process as they grew louder and louder. At the rate they were going, I was sure Boz was going to have to increase the volume levels of the amplifiers in order for them to hear the next couple of songs in the set.

As the final notes of the song rang through the auditorium, I watched Bella step toward the front of the stage with a fierce look on face. She was equal parts excitement, bewilderment and authority as she stepped to the mic and waited for the crowd to quiet down enough to hear her. She was also the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen.

"This next one has a very special place in my heart," she started to the roaring crowd. "You might have noticed that at every entrance, there is a Washington state police officer. They are here at our request and as a favor to me personally."

The audience hushed a little to hear her comments. I looked up into our family's private area and was surprised to see Jasper staring hard at her. His eyebrow was cocked slightly, the tell-tale sign of him exerting his talent over someone. I knew he was trying to help Bella control the emotions that the next song would evoke from her and was grateful to him for his desire to help her.

"My father was a law enforcement officer that was killed in the line of duty. The organization that is here with us tonight helped me in ways that I could never have imagined. So as a thank you, I want you guys to support them. As you're leaving tonight, drop what you can into their donation buckets and make sure that the families of our fallen officers know they're not alone."

I ached to go to her as she dropped her head and stared at the floor. The crowd had cheered at her words but had grown strangely somber as they watched her on the stage. Even if they'd not known what happened to Charlie, her body language would have told the story. She seemed to be struggling with her next words. By this point, the audience had joined her in her introspective memories and seemed almost reverent.

"Charlie, this one's for you," she whispered.

The haunting notes of "Even in Death" broke through the silence that had descended over the crowd. It was a strange combination of heavy keyboards and JP's dark bass line. As she sang the first verse, images began to scroll across the two large video screens. The first picture was of a family smiling happily to a camera somewhere in the past. It was immediately followed by a much more formal picture of an officer in full dress uniform. At the bottom of the screen, the dates of the officer's birth and death were in large white letters. The first verse of the song coupled with the silently screaming emotions the photographs evoked was a powerful jolt that seemed both unfamiliar and painful in equal parts. The crowd reacted with admiration and uncertainty as she launched into the haunting chorus and I once again wished with all I had that I could go to her and comfort her.

**I'll stay forever even with you, my love**

**The softly spoken words you gave me**

**Even in death **

**Our love goes on**

The pain that laced her voice was evident to everyone in the room as she sang. The timbre of her voice was so hauntingly beautiful that it was physically painful for me to restrain myself from going to her and wrapping my arms around her in an attempt to take some of the hurt away from her. As each line cut like a razor through the thick air of the room, the pictures of fallen officers continued its pattern. Smiling men and their adoring families faded into the final images of the heroes that had given their lives for the protection of their cities citizens. I glanced at the large screen closest to me in anticipation of what I'd been told was coming just as she closed the second verse.

**They don't know you can't leave me**

**They don't hear singing to me**

The photo that morphed onto the screen was both heart warming and heart-wrenching at the same moment. Bella was crouched by the familiar brown sofa that still sat in the tiny living room in Forks. Her eyes were tight with anxiety but the smile on her face was real and innocent. Charlie was sitting up on the end of the sofa, his body leaning into her and his mustached lips curled into an uncomfortable smile. But the love that existed between the two of them was so obvious it warmed even my glacial skin. The picture also made my stomach clench as I remembered taking the photo just two days before that horrendous afternoon in the woods. I had the image that Charlie had snapped of the two of us less than a minute later tucked into my wallet as a constant reminder of the gravity of my past mistakes. As the formal portrait of Charlie filled the screen, Bella grasped the mic and turned to face the image of her father as she sang the chorus for the second time. As her words faded into a mournful cry, she reached her hand to her lips and lifted a kiss to his memory before her.

The song picked up its pace and brashness as Dimitri's guitar became more forceful and pronounced. Bella had written a gorgeous piano line for this part of the song. I could see in her eyes as she looked at me that she yearned for something to distract her from her memories, so I nodded toward the piano bench I was seated on. She read my mind and stalked back to the instrument and took her place at my side. With less than a second before I was to join in the song, her fingers came down hard on the keys before her. I played a subtle underlying melody as she pounded the keys forcefully on my right. Understanding that she would need to finish the song from her spot at the piano, one of the crew crept out on the stage and pushed the mic and its bracket further out from its place on top of the lid until it was level with her mouth instead of mine. Like a strangely clad ghost, he tiptoed off the stage quickly just as she began to finish the song. Her voice was even and less emotional and I was immensely grateful for the reprieve from the emotional onslaught that had momentarily threatened to sweep her into its embrace.

As the feel of the song had turned from grieving to rejoicing, so had the audience's reaction. By the time she sang the final words of the song, the previous level of enthusiasm had returned. As she breathed hard at the toll the song had taken on her, the mass of bodies below the stage roared appreciatively. I stroked her back in long passes over her exposed skin in an effort to help her regain the last of her composure. She gave me a gorgeous smile and leaned forward for me to kiss her nose as she rose from the bench to continue the last set. It was evident in her eyes that her emotions were on high and that she had not been prepared for such dramatic swings. Only those that knew her best could have picked up on the signals of her inner confusion but to me, it was clearly written all over her face.

"Baby, get pissed off," I said to her as she turned her back to me. I saw the set of her shoulders stiffen at my words and knew she understood. Anger was much easier to handle and the next song in her set was "Sweet Sacrifice", which would lend itself perfectly to rechanneling the firestorm within her tiny body. I had thought the first time I had seen her sing the song that it was the equivalent of musical rage. That first show in Atlanta had made me literally squirm under the power of her fury but tonight, it was a welcome escape from her pain.

It worked. She sang the song with an almost painful amount of raw energy. There was an immediate response to her from not only the audience but the band as well. It still amazed me how in tune they were with each other. They all seemed to take on each others emotions as easily as Jaz did. When she stood in the middle of the stage and let that ridiculously long note at the end of the song fly, the eruption of cheers from the room was nearly loud enough to shatter glass.

I stared, mystified, at the presence that was my wife on stage. I realized as I watched her stalk back up the long center runway that performing was not something that she would ever be able to fully leave behind. Her exit from her mortal life, as we had discussed this afternoon, wouldn't allow her the size crowd that sprawled before us now. But it was such a natural part of her, so effortless, that I knew eventually, we'd have to find an outlet for her.

"You guys still want more?" she screamed into the mic, pulling me from my thoughts of our future. The crowd exploded in sheer adulation at her words.

The strangely innocent introduction of "Lies" sent the audience further into their frenzy. As the song progressed, I actually worried for Dimitri's voice. This was his showcase and he was nearly possessed in his enthusiasm tonight as he growled out the lyrics. The deep gravely character of his voice combined with the beautiful harmony between Bella and Jane was surreal on the calmest nights. But tonight, it seemed almost as if they were beckoning some unseen force to the stage with them. I hit the keys of the distinctive, disjointed piano line with an unusual amount force and jumped slightly as I noticed a crack in one of the keys. I shuddered at the thought of what my wife would do to me after the show when she found out that I had damaged her beloved instrument and looked toward Dimitri instead of her, hoping guilt wasn't written all over my face.

Her brilliant laugh as the song closed made me look away from the black haired guitarist and to the center of the stage. She was staring at me with amusement written all over her face. I also realized that JP was watching me with an almost identical look.

"What," I mouthed silently with a shrug of my shoulders, wondering how in the hell she could see the cracked key from so far away.

"Dude, you were fuckin' thrashin' your head," JP barked out as Bella threw her head back and laughed in agreement. I hadn't realized I was so carried away in her performance but it didn't surprise me. She was hypnotic tonight. I just grinned sheepishly, let out a sigh of thanks that she wasn't going to hand me my ass just yet and shrugged again as Jane's keyboards began the next song in the line up.

"The Howling" brought the house down. As usual, my wife ran around the room like a banshee, throwing her hair around like a bullwhip the audience was begging for and screaming into the now thick with excitement air of the auditorium. As she'd sung the bridge though, I noticed a very distinct shift in the dynamics of the stage. She became more aggressive in her movements, more dramatic in her gestures to the crowd. Her movements seemed almost possessed by some agenda that no one else knew of as she flew around the room like a demon was after her.

She'd stood in front of the box that held our family and friends just as JP's odd bass line provided a small breather for Jane and her before the end of the song. I watched her sling her hair around in enormous circles in perfect time with the music. I was amazed to see that nearly everyone in the small area behind her was doing the same thing. Even my demure mother was doing her own version of head banging behind Bella's Pied Piper lead. I couldn't help the smile that broke free as I realized that she was doing much more than leading the crowd, that she had indeed had a plan as she'd sprinted around the room. By positioning herself where she had, she would inevitably pull JP"s attention to the box.

And to Heidi.

He and Dimitri always looked to her before a movement change in any song, to make sure that she was ready. And she knew it. She had purposely put herself in front of Heidi so that when JP looked up, it would be the rail thin frame and the scorching blue eyes that he would see. I heard his gasp even from behind him on the stage. In an unusual error for him, he briefly stubbed the notes that he should have played. No one but the band would have noticed his mistake and he recovered quickly but it was unmistakable. He continued to play but his gaze was fixed on her. I followed his laser stare to her and found the mirror image of the expression I was sure he wore.

Her eyes were wide as saucers and filled with every conceivable emotion. Most prominent in the mix though was unmistakable love. The tightness in her jaw showed her anger and the crease in her brow gave away her pain. But her sapphire blue eyes held unending love. My devious wife never looked at either of them, simply continued the song and her path back down to the stage, where JP still stood motionless as he played. With a small nudge of her hip, she broke him from her reverie with a smile as the song came to its dramatic close. He shook his head slightly and moved back to the right where he normally perched himself but I noticed that every couple of seconds, he cut his eyes to the brunette high above the crowd.

"I wrote this next one," my wife's voice soared above the crowd, "for someone that you guys know by now. This one goes out to my husband." She turned her body to look at me and what I saw in her face took my breath away. In all the time we'd been on stage together, I'd never performed "Like You" with her. I'd played it as Jane sang and I'd watched it several times but I had not shared the stage with her during that most emotionally powerful song since that dream-like night in Atlanta. "I love you Edward," she said into the mic. Much to my amusement, the response of the crowd was a mix of sweet sighs from the female half of the crowd and jealous growls from a good portion of the men in the room.

The song's beautiful melody was so different now as compared to the first night I'd heard it. That first night, it was haunting and painful to listen to. Now, with my ring on her finger and my crest bound around her neck, they were the most shockingly gorgeous lyrics I'd ever heard. As we played, the stage was swaddled in a soft blue light and two white spotlights shone on me as I played her piano and my wife as she sang. It was the most beautiful way I could imagine to play the song for the first and last time together. When she closed the second verse, she turned and walked back toward me, her eyes never leaving mine. It was more than possible to forget that thousands of people were also in the room with us as her eyes held mine. She stood behind me, her body pressed against my back and her hand gently stroking through my hair as she held the notes of the interlude for an extraordinary amount of time. The decibel level of the room was off the chart as she finished the song, the crowd picking up on some unspoken current that encompassed them. I looked up and back toward her just as she leaned forward and down toward me. Had the emotions not been so deep and real, the strange upside down kiss that we each placed on the others chin would have been funny. She pulled back a little and smiled at me, her serenity emanating in waves off of her.

"Edward," JP interrupted our little not-so-private moment. We both turned to see him standing almost directly beside the damaged edge of the piano. "How fast can you pick up a song?"

The look on his face was more serious than at almost any time since I'd first met him. Whatever he had on his mind was nearly earth-shattering in its importance to him. Bella, picking up on the same magnitude of his question, stepped toward him and placed her tiny hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Pretty fast, I guess. Why?"

He didn't respond to me at first but instead turned to Bella.

"I need to do 'October'," he said in a whisper. The ripple of emotion that passed through them both was unmistakable. They both shivered as the words hung in the air between them. She nodded wordlessly and then moved to the side of the stage, heading directly to one of the road crew who looked startled at her change in plans. Before I could follow her movements or ask what they were doing, JP stepped in my line of site.

"Okay, get your acoustic. They crew is going to bring some stools out for us. I'll play the chords through twice for you. Just watch my hands. Then just repeat them over and over. Your riff will never change; just listen for the breaks in the song."

He was so close to panicking it was almost concerning. His thoughts were a jumble of fear and uncertainty, something I'd never experienced from him before. He motioned for Dimitri, a hand signal that the guitarist seemed to recognize since he pulled his electric guitar from over his head and started toward the center of the stage.

The crew had pulled three stools to the center of the floor and I noticed in my periphery that Jane was making her way down from her perch behind her keyboards. I had no idea what the song we were about to play was but it was obviously very important and emotional for both Bella and JP. My suspicions were confirmed as I sat on the middle stool and Dimitri leaned in to my ear.

"Dude, this one could be hard for you but just keep it going. You're more than good enough to pick up the chords. I taught you well," he said with a smirk that then turned to a tight line. "Just don't let the lyrics get to you. They were both in bad places when they wrote it. It's gorgeous but it's gonna hit you and Heidi right between the eyes."

I wasn't surprised he knew she was here also. His normal position on the stage was closest to her location and he too would have been watching Bella. Jane stepped between us with a soft smile to me and then stood on the other side of Dimitri, waiting for her part of the song. I looked to my right and found Bella and JP speaking soundlessly to each other as they joined us in the semi circle that had been created. The lights behind us all went black and the only illumination was to cast us all in a softer light than the normal spotlights were. I perched my guitar on my knee and turned my head to watch JP's fingers as intently as possible as he started the song. The guitar was simply beautiful. The simple chords were not complicated but they conveyed longing and want in every single note. I stiffened slightly as I realized that if the music alone was that profound the lyrics were likely to slay me.

**I can't run anymore**

**I fall before you**

**Here I am**

**I have nothing left**

**Thought I've tried to forget**

**You're all that I am**

**Take me home**

**I'm through fighting it**

I tried as hard as possible to continue watching the notes that I was to play in just a few minutes but I was floored. Her voice sounded like that of an angel crying. It was so raw, so pained as she sang that had I been mortal, I would have never been able to handle trying to learn the song and listen to her. Jane stepped to the second mic and joined in with the most moving harmony I'd ever heard from EverClear. It was only the change in the progression that allowed me to focus the turmoil inside and pick up playing when JP switched his riff into a complicated rhythm that was a perfect compliment to the simplicity of the song. But again, Bella's words combined with Jane's soft harmony cut to the bone as she sang the chorus.

**My only hope**

**My only peace**

**My only joy**

**My only strength**

**My only power**

**My only life**

**My only love**

I wanted nothing more than to snatch her up and carry her away to a place that I could beg for her forgiveness for ever making her feel as mournful as the song was. But JP rising from his stool distracted me enough to hold myself together. With his eyes trained on the private room that held his own torment, he slowly moved across the stage. Bella watched his slow progression with hope and pain clearly written on her flawless features. The audience knew that something profound was going on and responded with a monstrous decrease in their noise. It was almost as if they had been warned that an EverClear show held the possibility of a life changing moment for one of the members. And in a way it was true.

As the song progressed, JP climbed the stairs toward Heidi, who was now openly crying as she watched him move closer and closer. Chip and Marcus were directly behind her, clutching each other's hand and our family had moved to the side with the Forks crowd to allow them as much privacy as possible for what was unfolding. When he reached the platform, he stood as close to the railing as possible and simply played to her. Neither of them moved an inch, save for his hands as they continued to play for her and her alone. My own playing was as sure as possible considering the short amount of time I'd had to pick up the notes but no one on the stage or in the audience could have cared any less given the reunion that all twelve thousand people were witnessing.

**Constantly ignoring**

**The pain consuming me**

**But this time, it cuts too deep**

**I'll never stray again**

Jesus, these two were unbelievable. The song could have applied to either Bella's blackest time or JP's with the words that drew everyone in the room in. Every hurt and hopeful thought the two of them had harbored during that time was evident in the song's sound. I watched Bella's eyes tear up as JP dropped to his knees in front of his lost love and I was sure that he too probably had misty eyes. As the incredible song advanced closer and closer to its close, the harmonies built and the instruments sang even more reverently. Through it all, JP stayed on his knees at Heidi's feet. She gripped the banister that separated the two of them so tightly that her white knuckles were visible even from such an enormous distance. The long mane of dark hair did not hide the fact that she was sobbing as she looked into the eyes of the man that held both her greatest pain and greatest joy.

My own body ached to shed its own tears at the powerful scene in front of me and I wondered if this was what it had been like when the situation had been reversed. Had JP felt the volcanic hope that all would be right in his best friend's world? When the song finished the area above the left platform was shrouded in darkness, giving the two of them some modicum of privacy. The other members of the band cleared away from the center of the stage to allow me to start "Far Away" which had been next on the set list. Bella took one step away from the stool I still sat on but I reached out and grabbed her hand. With the scene unfolding above us and the pained words from the song, I couldn't physically allow her to be further away from me than an arm's length. Before I started the song, I pulled her against my chest and kissed her forehead. The moisture on her cheeks pressed into my shirt as her body relaxed against me. The fact that she understood what I was trying to convey at that moment meant everything to me as I glanced quickly at the couple above us, who had not moved a muscle but simply stared at each other in the dark. I glanced back down into her deep eyes that still shimmered with her tears and saw the relief that echoed in my own heart.

"Forever baby," I whispered as I pulled us to the stools to finish out the set. She looked over her shoulder at JP and Heidi one more time and then back at me.

"Forever."

**Chapter Notes: We are getting down to the wire now guys, so let me know what you think. I would love to hear any predictions you have for the story. I have 2 full chapters and a 2 part epilogue left with the crew from EverClear. I am hoping to have the entire story completed by Christmas, so that gives you guys an idea of what the posting should look like over the next couple of weeks.**

**I love all you guys dearly and greatly appreciate all the support you've shown me and the story over the months. Just a couple to go, so reviews are more appreciated than ever.**

**Special thanks to the Tinis…chickas, you rock my socks off. Crow, wouldn't have made it through this week without your shoulder to lean on…thank you love.**


	33. Chapter 33Distractions

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**We're drawing closer and closer to the end and it's getting harder to type these at the start of each chapter. I want to thank everyone that nominated my stories for the Eddie/Bellie awards. I'll let you guys know what's happening with them and post a link to my profile for you to check it out.**

**To the Twitinis…you gals know I love you. Michele, this one's for you darlin'. Crow, I'm so jealous I'm not with you at the Mode right now. But thanks for the clip.**

**Let me know what you guys think. Reviews make me purr, pant and type faster than anything else. See you at the bottom.**

Chapter 32-Distractions

BPOV

"Pussy!"

I stared, shocked, across the twin piano lids at Edward's highly amused face. His eyes were nearly neon in their brightness as he challenged me with a cock of his perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Edward, I am not playing a song about fucking that was written by a man that married his thirteen year old cousin. It's gross." I snapped warmly as he snorted at my reasoning behind not playing "Whole Lot a Shakin''." "Maybe it's fine for an old man…" Jasper's cackle from behind me rang out through the room.

"Old man? Who are you calling an old man?" The humor written all over his face was as evident now as it had been when we'd started playing over an hour ago.

"Um…that would be you. I really should have married someone closer to my own age," I laughed at his mock indignance as he growled slightly and then grasped his chest as if I'd physically hurt him.

"You just know, my dear wife, that I will wipe the floor with your fine ass if we play that song. So again, I say…pussy."

"Jesus, will you two shut the fuck up and play something already!" Alice barked from her spot next to the pianos that we'd taken residence up on almost as soon as we'd walked into the club. She leaned back into Jasper's waiting arms as they both shook with laughter at our constant stream of bickering. I was pretty sure that Jaz actually had quite a bit to do with the nearly endless stream of insults that Edward and I had hurled at each other since Boz had informed us of the dueling pianos that were set up in the lower level of The Handlebar.

We had all descended upon the two story club an hour after the show had finished. It had taken me nearly all of Edward's singing "Far Away" and "Come for You" before I'd managed to stem the tide of tears that watching JP and Heidi had yielded. I knew, perhaps better than anyone except Edward, just how far out on a limb he'd put himself with his display and I ached for him to find the same resolution that we had. When the lights had gone down, I'd lost sight of the two of them high above the stage. My husband's beautiful voice had helped to calm me and the look of pure adulation that he gave me the entirety of the songs had pulled me out of the tidal wave of memories and emotions that watching their heart-break had unleashed.

JP had returned to the stage once Edward had finished "Come for You" and he had played every note to perfection. But it was obvious to everyone in the room that knew him, and probably to most of those that didn't, that his heart and mind were far from the stage. It was only at "Broken" that he seemed to rejoin the band. Singing that particular song with him had been perfectly agonizing. It was our song that we'd written about our mutual heartaches and now both of the personifications of that long ago pain were in the house. We had all but ignored the audience as we'd wailed the lyrics to each other. By the second chorus, we were facing each other, hot tears in both of our eyes as we'd sung of never feeling right without the other. It was a horribly emotional few minutes for us and when we'd finished the song, he'd leaned over and kissed my forehead, oblivious to the screams of the thousands below us. For the second time that day, we'd said goodbye to each other, only this time it was to the part of us that had coerced each other into reaching in and pulling the music that had solidified our friendship. It was the single best performance of the song we'd ever done.

And we both knew, we would never sing it together again.

We were saying goodbye to the "us" of our onstage persona. The entire band seemed to know as we screamed the chorus out that the moment was special beyond all others we'd experienced together. He'd even gone so far as to take my hand and dance with me during the second interlude between verses. Edward had smiled his only-for-me smile as he watched us and the crowd had all but stampeded in their applause when the song had ended.

But the moment the lights had gone black, he'd taken off. I had been so caught up in saying hello to all the friends from Forks, with the blatant exception of Lauren Mallory who still apparently hated me and Mike, who wouldn't look me in the eye when I said hello to him that I had not had a chance to try and talk to him after the show. And no one had seen neither hide nor hair of either one of them. I hoped with everything I had that they were together and talking. They were both strong-willed, passionate people. But at their core, they were as in love as Edward and I. They deserved their happily ever after more than any two people I knew and I had silently prayed to whoever was listening above that they found it.

"B? You still with us," Jasper drawled out, pulling me from my worrying about JP.

"Yeah, still here. Hungry as hell but still here,"

"Did I just hear my baby girl say she was hungry," Chip's voice rang out from across the cavernous room. I turned to look at him and laughed loudly at the sight. He and Marcus both had their arms loaded down with bags of take out. They each carried a minimum of six bags a piece and were both grinning wide as peacocks at me.

"Oh please tell me you got the Teriyaki steak," I begged as I stood from the bench. The smell of the scrumptious food was like the Pied Piper's flute drawing me to it. I noticed that Felix and Jane had both started making their way toward the pianos with the same glazed look in their eyes.

"My my, someone's feeling greedy tonight from the looks of things," Edward laughed from behind the piano as Alice slid in next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Bite me Edward," I snapped as I jumped up on the top of the instrument and folded my legs underneath myself, thankful of the torn jeans and black tee shirt I'd changed into after the show. I was so preoccupied with the bags in Chip's hands that I failed to notice as Jasper slid himself gracefully onto the lid beside me with a truly evil glint in his eye.

"With pleasure Bella. Do you want to pick the location or shall I?"he said as he wagged his eyebrows like a vaudeville villain. Alice's jewel toned laugh rang through the room even as she slapped his arm playfully.

All the humans in the room stood by impatiently and anxiously as tray after tray of food were placed in front of us. With a dramatic inhale, I reached for the box that contained my ambrosia only to find two large cold arms wrap around my waist and drag me away from the food.

"Hey! Damn it, let me go," I whined to the crowd at large, who found Jasper's culinary torture exceedingly funny.

"Not so fast Darlin'. I do believe you just dared your husband to bite you. Now it would be terribly rude manners to stuff your little face with something so horribly pungent prior to making good on that offer," he drawled out as his fingers tickled my ribs mercilessly. I squirmed on the slick lacquer of the top but I could not escape my brother as he chased me down easily. When I was nearly hyperventilating from laughter, Chip reached out and grabbed me under my arms, pulling me toward my salvation but away from the food.

"Jasper, let the girl eat," he admonished my brother with a smile. "After three hours on stage, she's got to be starving." He lightly kissed the top of my head before shoving me back toward the food, now resting in front of Edward. He was trying desperately to ignore the aroma wafting off the food and failing miserably. The look on his face was both amused and repulsed at the same time.

I clamored my way back across the piano top and settled myself into an Indian position directly in front of my husband and sister. With an indulgent smile, Alice winked at me and then returned her attention to the keyboard where Edward had commenced to playing an obnoxious version of "Moon River".

"Edward! What the fuck are you trying to do to us bro? Please pick something else" Jasper chuckled as he watched me intently. His eyes followed every move I made with my chop sticks. I cut my eyes to him and offered him a bamboo stick of beef, only to be met with a truly disgusted look.

"Tastes like bear," I teased Jaz in a low voice. Alice's snort was loud enough to draw attention to our little banter but not quickly enough for anyone to catch what we were saying.

"Like you'd know, ya little shit."

"Just a little mood music for dinner," my husband laughed as he watched the exchange between Jasper and me. "Has anyone seen JP? It's not like him to miss food of any sort."

"Last I saw of him," Dimitri said through a mouth full of Hibachi chicken and noodles, "he was hightailing it out of the building. I'd reckon he's meeting up with Heidi somewhere." We all nodded our agreement at his guess as to our bass player's whereabouts. "Man, it was like seeing a ghost up there tonight."

"Yeah, but a good ghost. I just hope he doesn't fuck it up," Felix concurred as he polished off a box of fried rice. It was highly unusual for Felix to add anything to our discussions on relationships. We'd often kidded him about being our asexual being because we'd never seen him with anyone, short or long term. But he assured us he was anything but and we would meet his special someone when he did.

"It would be so great to have her back in the mix, although I don't know what would happen to our sound," Dimitri laughed. "We've kind of made a career out of being the emo heartbroken rockers, what with you and JP both nursing bruised egos," he concurred as he nodded in my direction.

"Well, I guess EverClear will have to evolve," I offered uncomfortably. The food in my mouth seemed to turn to ash as the clarity of his words sank in. Sooner than he knew, EverClear would be changing and much more than our lyrics. The part of me that felt guilty at leaving them reared its head, as did the part of me that would miss these guys tremendously and left my eyes stinging with the tears I did not want to fall. The painful slap of my own swirling emotions began to take over the warm comfortability that I had been reveling just moments before. I sucked in a deep breath trying to calm myself. Before I could fully contain my emotions though, a cold hand grasping my thigh as it lay folded beneath me pulled me away from the bitter taste of the emotions just as the first tear threatened to fall.

"Baby?" Edward whispered so low that I was sure no one else could hear. "Let's get out of here for a few minutes. I want to show you something." Before I could answer, he slid both hands underneath my legs and lifted me off the top of the piano. By the time he placed me back onto the ground, he'd already turned us away from the crowd and walked half way across the room. He wound his arm around my waist as we left the large room and wove our way through the mass of people in the main club area. As we zigzagged through the mass of bodies, I spotted several familiar faces in the crowd. Angela and Ben were perched on barstools talking animatedly with each other, while Mike, Eric, Tyler and Jessica had claimed a table near the edge of the room. Every person in the room wore an ID card around their neck indicating that they had invitations to the after party but aside from my old friends and classmates, I honestly recognized almost no one. I found it more than a little humorous that in all the crowd of people, the band had managed to congregate ourselves away from the masses.

"You okay baby?" he asked softly as he directed me down a very dim, narrow hallway that curved back around the rear of the main room. On the door that led into the entrance was a sign that indicated this was an employee's only area. The music that pounded its way through the larger room was muffled in the small space that was lined on either side with deep red doors as the door clicked behind us.

"Yeah, just feeling a little guilty," I confessed as I turned in his arms to face him. The look in his eyes told me he was still unsure about me leaving the band, so I hurried to assure him that I wasn't questioning my decision. "Don't start. I'm not wavering about leaving, just feeling a little bad that they don't know it yet. Well, not all of them know it," I finished hesitantly.

"You know you don't…"

"Edward, stop. I'm not having this discussion again," I cut off his protests. I wound my arms around his neck, pressing myself against his chest. Almost without conscious thought, his arms snaked their way around my back and pulled me flush against him. I looked up into his eyes and nearly lost myself in their golden depths. He was so unbelievably beautiful as he smiled shyly at me. "I am one hundred percent certain of my decision. We are supposed to be together. Surely you don't still question that?"

"No, I don't. But there is nothing that says that you have to leave the band right now. You were so fucking amazing tonight," he said with a genuine grin. "I just don't want to take that away from you."

I stretched up on my tiptoes and softly kissed his firm lips in confirmation of my decision and its timing. He kept his eyes open for a brief second and then responded to my affections. His long lashes fluttered over his cheeks at the same moment that his mouth opened to my waiting tongue. I slowly but firmly explored his mouth, relishing in the taste of him and felt the heat rise in my skin as his hands slid down my back only to come to rest with a firm grip on my butt.

"I love you," he mumbled against my lips as he continued to kiss me, taking a few small steps forward until my back was pressed against the wood of one of the many doors that lined the hallway. Before I could respond, he broke the kiss and spun me around so that my back was pulled tightly against his rock hard chest. The next second, his mouth claimed the skin at the base of my neck with a trail of icy kisses, each one more passionate than the last.

I moaned as I felt his hand slid gracefully underneath the soft cotton of my shirt and mold itself to my breast. Even through the fabric of the skimpy lace bra, the arctic temperature of his hands triggered the faithful reaction that my body had to his every touch. As I leaned my head back against his shoulder, he reached out with his right hand and turned the handle of the door in front of me. I had no idea what the room was or what we might find once we stepped through, but in the moment, I didn't care. All that mattered was his touch.

So I was completely unprepared for the sight that met us.

In my Edward induced haze of intense desire, the images in front of me didn't register for a couple of seconds. It was almost as if I was trapped inside some sort of B movie and everything was moving in slow motion. As the lusty fog lifted and my eyes focused, I became hyper aware of what I was staring at. I also felt Edward's arm around my waist tighten and the fingers of his hand, still gripping my breast, knead into my skin slightly as he buried his face into the back of my head.

The room was nothing more than an office, presumably the club's manager or perhaps the owner, if he was the complete opposite of most club owners in their ostentatious taste. There was a large desk situated toward the back of the room set against an exposed brick wall with a filing cabinet to one side and a floor lamp to the other. The room was completely nondescript in every way except one.

Leaning against the desk, his pants around his ankles, was Emmett. He gripped the wooden edge so tightly, I could see the beginnings of fingertip shaped indentions forming on the edge and his legs were spread far apart as he stood perfectly still. His head was thrown back and his eyes were shut. There was an animalistic growl coming from deep within his chest in between the harsh pants.

Kneeling in front of him, with the most perfect pair of breasts I'd ever imagined on full display as they spilled from her unlaced corset, was Rosalie. But what had me imitating my vampire's statue-like stillness was what she was eye-level with. Emmett's erection was the most unbelievable thing I'd ever seen. Everything about Emmett was larger than life. His voice, his muscles, his personality. And his dick was no exception. It was ridiculous in its size and width. Pale as death and pointing toward Rose's waiting crimson lips, it was the single most impressive x-rated sight I'd ever seen.

I slammed my eyes shut and jerked in surprise, my body instantly trying to turn away from the more than intimate act that was seconds from taking place, only to hit the wall of muscle that was my husband's chest. His hands had not left my body but tightened their hold around me as I tried to flee.

"Wait, baby," he purred in my ear, the tone unmistakable. With barely a discernable movement of his smooth fingertips, the hand wrapped around my waist began to stroke up and down my side. I could feel that his head was turned into my neck and away from the scene before us, his lips ghosting along the shell of my ear as he continued to speak. "Watch. "

"Edward? What…"

"Watch and see what it will be like for us. Once I've changed you my love."

The shiver that ran down my spine had nothing to do with the temperature of his skin or the embarrassment that I knew I should be feeling at witnessing the sight in front of me. It was his words. Always his words. The blatant sexual urge that tinged his voice as he spoke was maddening in its demanded response from my body. Without really being aware of my motions, I threaded my hand behind his neck and into the silky disarray of his bronze locks. My motion pulled him deeper into the crook of my neck and I could feel his tongue whip against my skin as he continued speaking.

"Open you eyes Isabella. Watch them," he continued, his every word making me more and more unhinged with desire. "They both know we're here and they aren't stopping. Watch." With his last word, he closed his lips around my earlobe and sucked in into his mouth.

I nodded my acquiescence as I opened my eyes and returned my gaze to the room.

Rose had taken Emmett into her mouth and was bobbing her head against him at such velocity that her motions were nearly blurred. It was like watching an expensive Italian race car hug the twisting turns of a hillside highway. Her hand gripped the base of his enormous cock and pumped him up and down in perfect time with her mouth. Her beautiful body swayed in a disjointed rhythm as she worked her husband in and out of her flawless lips. The snarls and growls that filled the room were clearly from both of them as their own passions escalated.

"No restraint," Edward said against my ear as he rocked his hips into my backside. "No hesitancy." He moved from my ear and down the skin on the back of my neck as he continued to torment me in the most delicious sense of the word. "Just pure….carnal…pleasure," his last words punctuated with a slight nip at my skin.

I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips as the fingers beneath my shirt slid underneath the lace of my bra and gently pinched my already hard nipple. My sounds, although audible even without vampiric hearing, went unheeded by either of them. With a vicious roar, Emmett's head flew forward; his eyes locking on Rose who was staring up at him from her crouched position and his hands buried themselves in her hair.

"God damn baby," he barked as he sped the movement of his hips to match the impossible pace she had set against him. "I do love that fucking mouth of yours."

Rose responded by abandoning her ministrations with her hands and throwing her arms around his thighs. The sound of their bodies meeting was like a rock slide hitting pavement. There was nothing but grunts and moans and the heavy breathing filling the room, though whether they were coming from the open door way where Edward and I stood or inside the room, I couldn't tell.

"Motherfucker!" Emmett roared as he pulled Rose harshly against him, both hands still buried in her waist length spun gold tresses. He threw his head back as he obviously came forcefully down her throat. Before I could make out the change in movements, he'd reached down and pulled her up under her arms and lifted her high above his head. In what was clearly a practiced move, she perched her knees on either shoulder as he turned them and moved to brace her against the wall. When he slammed the two of them against the exposed brick of the back wall, small bits of dark red rubble rained down on them and a dent in the exact same spot as Rose's head was clearly visible, even to my weak eyesight. Emmett's burly left hand tore at the tiny bit of fabric that was masquerading as Rose's skirt, pushing it up to her hips as his right hand moved to her still exposed breast. She screamed in pure ecstasy as he buried his face between her legs, seemingly unfazed by the fact that she was a good seven feet off the ground.

"When the time comes," Edward hissed from his favorite spot behind my ear, "I'm going to sink my teeth into you and taste your blood one last time." The hand that had been locked around my waist slid down the front of my jeans and made immediate contact with my completely soaking slit. The icy touch of his fingers against my engorged clit pulled another, louder wail from me. "We'll disappear and I'll be by your side every second of your change. And when you wake up, I'm going to take you hunting," he said with a simultaneous circling flick of his wrist around my pulsing bundle of nerves and a well aimed grind of his own impressive hard on right up the crack of my ass, "and then fuck you for a solid week. I'm going to make you cum a hundred different times that first week alone."

"Ungh….Edward," I gasped at both his promise and the sensations he was eliciting from my body. I glanced back at the couple in front of me to see that Emmett was still working Rose into a frenzy. Her hands clawed at both his head and the wall behind her as she clearly raced toward her own orgasm. I pushed my hips back against Edward, silently begging him not to stop as the warm burn in my stomach began to take shape. He sped up the movements of his hand as I felt his tongue licking long passes over my shoulders.

"Oh God…Emmett," Rose cried out as her back arched. I felt the wicked chuckle from behind me as my body responded to her pleas for more.

I didn't fully comprehend what he was doing until I felt my own back pressed against a wall and heard the distinct slam of a door very close to me. I looked up, confused and somewhat disoriented, to see that Edward had moved us into the office with Emmett and Rose, spun me around to the nearest wall and closed the door. It took less than a heartbeat for him to completely switch our position. His back was still to his siblings, offering a modicum of privacy to their act, although he had no such ability to give their thoughts the same treatment. His hand pulled furiously at the button of my pants for just a second before the fly fell free and he was nudging my pants down below my hip bones.

"Keep watching," he said as he attacked my jaw and collarbone with his lips. The swift change in position, from him behind me to in front of me, left me dazed until I felt his fingers gently inching its way down toward my burning entrance. "My nasty girl," he said in the most seductive tone yet as he pushed two fingers deep inside of me. "Voyeur, exhibitionist. What's next on the list for my bad girl?"

I was so lost in the feeling of his fingers pumping in and out of me and of the sheer eroticism of watching the beautiful couple in front of me that I couldn't form a coherent answer. I moaned into his shoulder as I held him desperately for support. I could feel my own wetness running down the inside of my legs and coating his knuckles as he fucked me with his fingers. I wanted him so badly I nearly cried out but I couldn't make myself move away from the expert motions of his every gesture.

"I'm going to do all the things I've always wanted baby," he mumbled against my lips as I tried, in vain, to kiss him. "Watch, she's almost there," he commanded me as he added another finger, filling me to the point of near explosion. "And as a newborn, I can't possibly hurt you. I'm going to bite that perfect swell of your butt that you've tormented me with. I'm going to fuck you until we tear the house down. I'm going to tie you up and spank you."

With every new image, I the heat in my core grew. All the times I'd known he was holding back, all the things that he craved in his mind but was unwilling to let loose while he could hurt me were flowing from his lips in depraved promises of pleasure to come. I closed my eyes as the wave of heat grew and even though I could still hear Emmett and Rose, my entire focus was on what he was doing to my body.

"But what I can't wait for," he whispered as he slid his fingers from me briefly, "is to bend you over and..."

I screamed as he slid one long finger into my ass at the same time he pushed back into my pussy. Using both hands now, he somehow choreographed himself to not only invade my ass and core but to also circle my clit with what felt like his thumb. His name was the only word I was capable of in that moment and it fell from my mouth over and over.

"Fuck that perfect ass."

I absolutely exploded. My orgasm ripped through me with astonishing clarity. Again and again, the electrified ripples made their way down my entire body. The gushing moisture that should have embarrassed me did not. It only served to push me further into my pleasure induced haze.

"It's mine. Just like the rest of you and I intend to claim it," he growled as he demanded every ounce of pleasure my body had to give. "You are mine. Forever."

I slowly began to regain the ability to think and breathe as his fingers slowed their movements and then gently withdrew from my body. I was gasping for breath as I felt him place a tender kiss against my lips. He worked the fabric back over my hips and was refastening them before I opened my eyes. When I looked up at him, he was smiling brilliantly and his eyes danced with pure happiness. Without breaking eye contact, he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked them greedily into his mouth. I watched, transfixed by the unadulterated joy my taste seemed to bring him. It was only the clearing of a throat behind him that made me remember that we were not, in fact, alone.

"Thanks for that guys," Rose said from the safe embrace of Emmett's arms. Her clothes had been righted and they both smiled at us wickedly. "We haven't had an audience in a very long time."

"Peanut," Emmett laughed as he nuzzled his wife's hair, "I think we've been a bad influence on you."

"Did I forget to mention that Emmett and Rose both really get off on being watched?" Edward said amusedly as he wrapped me in his arms. "I've seen my fair share of their escapades in their thoughts over the years but to them, there's nothing quite like a live set of eyes."

I could feel the blush creeping up the back of my neck and into my cheeks.

"Oh, now she blushes," Emmett roared as Edward pulled the door open and we began to make our way back into the hallway, leaving Em and Rose behind us laughing hysterically.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? To distract me," I said with feigned irritation as we reached the mouth of the gaping room that was now filled almost to capacity with guests.

"I admit it, I did. Did it work?"

"I'll say," I said with a snort. The thundering music whirled around us like a hurricane as I turned in his arms to face him. There was still clearly desire and need in his eyes but also relief as he stared at me.

"I hope you're not angry with me. They really do like it and I wanted to take your mind off being upset." He cupped my cheek with one hand as he leaned forward so that I could hear him. "All I ever want out of life is for you to be happy baby. However that's accomplished, I'm on board."

"I know," I said as I smiled at him. "And I love you for that. But I really am okay with my decision. I want to be with you. I want to start our life together, as soon as possible."

"We could have all the arrangements made within three months," he offered and I saw the genuine excitement in his eyes.

"It's Halloween tonight, so by the New Year?"

"If that's what you want, I'll make it happen."

I nodded my answer to him and he smiled the most glorious, breath-taking smile I'd ever seen from him. I rose up on my tiptoes and kissed him. It was a slow, deep kiss full of promise and love and anticipation that he returned with equal passion. When at last we broke apart, he took my hand and began to lead me back toward the small room with the pianos that we'd started our evening in.

"Did you really mean what you said?" I asked, knowing he could hear me above the din of the club and the partygoers.

"About what?" he called over his shoulder with a knowing smirk.

"About….about taking me…"

He turned and took my hands, walking backwards and leading me to the double doors that corded off the band. I could hear Dimitri's voice howling with laughter at something just on the other side as I looked at my husband more shyly than I thought possible. When his back reached the door, he leaned against it and took both my hands in his. The almost evil smile that adorned his face should have told me all I needed to know.

"Why, Mrs. Cullen? Are we having trouble asking if your husband intends to coerce you into agreeing to let him butt fuck you? After you, in a single night, had sex in front of a former classmate and in potential view of another twelve thousand people, only to follow it up hours later with watching your brother and sister-in-law go at it with ring side seats while cumming on your husband's hand? Surely, my nasty girl isn't embarrassed at this point. And yes, I absolutely mean it. I have every intention of fucking your glorious ass."

My mouth fell open at the crass playful words of my beautiful husband. It was such a difference now as compared to all those years ago when we'd first met. He was so much more relaxed and at ease. It was beautiful to witness and even more exciting to know that I had an eternity with him. The playful side of Edward was too much for any mere mortal to resist.

"Well Mr. Cullen, that's a request that will only be fulfilled if you think you can outplay me on a song that wasn't written prior to my dad's birth. Old man," I teased as I reached for the door.

"I may have to spank you sooner rather than later if you call me an old man again," he mumbled as we stepped back into the room and rejoined the band for one last night of celebration.

**Chapter Notes: Yeah, I know. It was kind of a pervy chapter but it had to be done! My posting schedule is still to have the last full chapter and the Epilogue to you guys by Christmas. Reviews are nearly as good as waking up on Christmas morning to find Rob naked and with a big red bow you know where! Leave me some love.**


	34. Chapter 34The End

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**Okay, okay…I lied. Well not really lied but I was wrong. I got to page 20 of this chapter and started to worry. So I sent it to two people whose opinions I value and trust. Both of them agreed that I needed to split the chapter. So here is part 1. Part 2 is well under way and should be up in just a day or two. So the posting schedule still stands. **

**Send your thanks to my wonderful beyond all words daughter Taylor and the indomitable CorvidCoccinelle for suggesting that the story worked better as two separate chapters. **

**This one was a doozy to write. Grab your hankies and settle in. All my love to those of you that have been with me from the start, reviewed and PM's me. Without you guys, this experience would not have been even half as wonderful as it has been. Even when you told me the Outtake was too much or that you didn't like the last chapter (you guys know who you are…I love your feedback even if I don't necessarily agree with your opinions. Thank you for being so honest with me) I adore the responses you guys give me to the story I've poured so much of myself into.**

**Playlist:**

**Anywhere-Evanescence**

**This one is a MUST LISTEN to song. You have trusted me so far, don't stop now. The music of this story is almost a character in and of itself. It's on YouTube, so go and pull it up. You'll know when it's time to press play.**

**See you guys at the bottom.**

Chapter 33-The End

JP POV

December 20, 2009

"I fuckin' hate Mary Hart," I muttered to no one in particular as I stared at the plasma screen in front of me. The ridiculously perky helmet-haired image of the gossip monger filled the wall in front of me, mocking the emotions that had swirled and permeated the room since last night. Since 7:57 pm to be exact. That was the precise moment that Marcus had burst into the apartment and told us the horrid news.

"Shock waves are still rippling through the music industry today as news of the deaths of Bella and Edward Cullen of EverClear makes its way around the world. We'll be right back with the latest breaking information on this rock and roll fairytale turned tragedy right after this message."

I hated that bitch's voice. I hated everything about her. But mostly I hated that what she was reporting on, using for ratings was my fucking family. My life. I stared blankly as the image of some overpaid athlete that had gotten caught with his pants around his knees, a lot, splayed across the screen hawking a watch or some shit like that. It didn't matter. Not much really fucking mattered at the moment, except that my heart was broken.

"I don't know if I can watch anything more right now," Dimitri said from beside me on the couch. I looked over at the dude that had shared the stage with us for almost five years. His eyes were rimmed red, like we'd just toked on some excellent dubage. But there were no silly laughs or stupid comments today. His eyes, like mine and everyone else in the room, were red from tears.

I looked around the room at my band and our staff. Chip and Marcus' normally inviting warm house seemed like a wake. The roaring fire in the mondo fireplace did nothing to warm the cold that I felt down to my bones. Jane and Felix were on the love seat, her wrapped in a thick blanket as she stared at the coffee table unseeingly. Perched on the arm of the little couch was Boz, his normally open face lined with grief. My eyes next fell to the hardest sight of all to look at. Chip sat on the floor next to the hearth, his knees pulled up to his chest, staring into the flames. He'd not said a word in more than twelve hours. Beside him, Marcus sat with his arm rubbing up and down his partner's back. But I knew that Chip probably didn't even feel it. The only outward sign that he was even still alive was the constant flow of tears that ran from his normally shining eyes and the occasional sniffle

.

"Fuck!" Dimitri yelled into the air as he scrubbed his hands over his eyes for the thousandth time today. He pushed off the couch in a huff and stomped toward some of the crew on the far side of the room. He'd been doin' that a lot the last couple of hours. This was more than he knew how to deal with. If the press camped outside the building hadn't been bad enough, there was no escaping it on the television. Every fuckin' channel we put it on had the same story.

"Welcome back to Entertainment Tonight," the nasally voice pierced through the air as the commercial faded away. "The music industry is reeling tonight from the new that EverClear founding member Bella Swan Cullen and her husband of just three months, Edward Cullen, was killed late last night in a plane crash off the coast of Brazil."

I didn't want to watch this again but I couldn't make myself not watch. The screen filled with the same images that I'd seen too many times to count now. Bella and Edward running across a cloud covered tarmac at a private airport outside Seattle. I'd talked to them just a couple of hours before they'd left in the limo that would take them there. I could hear the reporters shouting their names, trying to get them to turn around but they never turned to look at anyone. Edward simply scooped her up in his arms and ran up the stairs to the private jet that waited for them. I watched it over and over again because just as they reached the top of the stairs, I could see a quick glimpse of my bitch's face. She was looking over Eddie's shoulder at the reporters and was smiling like she'd just won the lottery. She was fucking beaming. And beautiful. And happy. I needed that image in my head, so I watched every one of the stories that popped up on the screen.

"Sources tell us that the pair was en route to a private island off the coast South America on a belated honeymoon when their plane went down. The remote location and extreme depth of the surrounding waters has made rescue efforts extremely difficult and the search for survivors was called off a little over an hour ago. There's not a music fan in the country that isn't familiar with the whirlwind story of the shy reclusive singer and her long lost love finally reunited after almost five years during an explosive performance in Atlanta in September."

"Huh," Felix huffed from his loveseat. "Explosive my ass. More like epic," he chuckled as a grainy image of my girl and Eddie locked around each other in Atlanta filled the screen. There had to be a hundred different versions of this scene on YouTube. But none would ever do the real event justice.

"Married just three days after finding one another after their long separation, they were nearly parted again just a little over a month later when former EMD front man Sebastian Steele brutally attacked Mrs. Cullen and EverClear's bassist after a show in Houston. Steele is currently under house arrest in Seattle awaiting trial on attempted murder, kidnapping, first degree arson and aggravated assault charges," helmet head continued as a picture of the cocksucker flashed onto the screen.

"Motherfucker!" I spat at the screen as it faded again back to Mary and her obnoxious voice.

"Details of the couple's final days are still emerging but two things are certain. One is that the music world lost a tremendous talent in the pair of them and two, that the story of their all too brief love affair will never be forgotten by the industry or its fans."

"Please, I can't listen to her anymore," Jane's tiny voice said as I reached for the remote, my God damned eyes burning again. With a click the screen was muted and the room fell into silence again. The hot tears fell down my cheeks and I didn't even try to wipe them away this time.

I was yanking at the ends of my dreads as I sat back harshly into the oversized couch that still smelled like fucking strawberries to me when I felt a hand slide over my shoulder and squeeze. I knew that touch anywhere and I relaxed just a little. I leaned my head back and instantly felt her stomach against my neck. With slow strokes, she rubbed my cheek as the newest wave of tears came to a close.

"Babe?" I said as I looked up into the shining blue eyes I'd dreamt of for so long. I pulled at her hand and easily yanked her over the back of the couch and into my lap, her weight filling the emptiness that continually tried to creep into my stomach.

"It's ok JP, I promise," my Heidi whispered as she leaned forward and kissed my nose. Fucking hell, she knew what I needed way before I ever did. I wrapped my arms around her as she leaned into my chest and rested her head against me. Her fingers traced the oval of my EC tat over and over as she simply let me hold on to her.

"I know, it's just…"

"I get it, I do."

"I know logically what's going on," I said as quietly as possible, not wanting my voice to broadcast to the crew that surrounded us, "but that ain't stoppin' my heart from dying."

"I know baby," she said as she pulled me towards her and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I don't know how long we sat like that, her rockin' me like a baby as I tried not to cry again. I knew that Bells wasn't really dead but the inescapable fact was that she wasn't coming back. I'd known for months, since we returned to Seattle, that this day was comin' quickly. But fuck if I was ready for it to be here.

"Mr. Marcus?" a voice cracked through the nearly silent room as we were all caught up in our own thoughts. All heads turned to find Alec, our head of security standing in the doorway. He wore the same depressing ass look as the rest of us as he looked around the room. "I have a delivery for EverClear from the office of Mr. J. Jenks, Esquire," he said hesitantly as his eyes found the prone form of our usually boisterous handler seated on the floor. He motioned toward a thick envelope held in his right hand, the orange and purple delivery company's logo visible from across the room. With a quick kiss to Chip's temple, Marcus rose and crossed the room in a couple of long strides. He took the package with a quick nod of thanks and returned to his position at the hearth before he ripped it open.

Fucking lawyers. Of course, the label would have the blood suckers already working on whatever legal shit needed to happen now. Fuck 'em, I didn't give a rat's ass what the lawyers had to say right now. I returned my attention to Heidi still sitting in my lap and caressing any part of me she could reach. I focused on the steady breathing of the incredible woman in my arms and slowly felt some of the tension leaving my body. I had no idea how long I sat there but Marcus' stunned laughter that pulled me from my world.

"Jesus sakes Christ," he said loudly, a strange smile on his face and his eyes filled with tears. He looked up and around the room with clear astonishment written all over his face. "Um, can you guys leave us alone for a little bit," he said as he looked toward the crew standing around in a large circle in front of the giant window. They nodded uncomfortably and began to file out of the room in a quiet murmur.

I looked at Marcus, knowing the man long enough to know that he had a terrible poker face. He was dying to tell us something but had to clear the room first. Felix had clearly picked up on the same thing and he looked at me with his eyebrow cocked. When the last of the crew had filed out in a quiet murmur and the door shut, Marcus walked to the center of the room, motioning Dimitri to join the rest of us on the couches. Chip didn't move, didn't remove his gaze from the crackling fire.

"I…um…have something for each of you," he started, the emotions making his voice thick and unsure. In his hands, he held several off white envelopes. I didn't want anything from the label. I hadn't even thought about how much shit we would have to go through to keep EverClear together now that one of our founding members had…now that she was….

"From Bella," he said dramatically.

Everyone in the room made some sort of noise. I felt my chest tighten as the air left my throat in a huff. Jane moaned pitifully while Dimitri and Felix let loose twin "huh". Chip, God help him, sobbed like he'd been stabbed.

"Apparently, Jenks is one of the Cullen's attorneys. There's a letter here that says we are to open these only when no one outside the band and the two of us are present. There's an envelope for all of us and instructions to burn them once we've finished reading," he finished as he waved a stack of small letters around. Without another word, he began to pass out the packages.

When he handed me mine, I immediately felt something heavy inside. I traced my thumb over the outline and instantly knew what I would find when I opened it. I tore one end off and sure enough, when I tipped it sideways, Bella's "EC" pendant slid into my open palm. I stared at the silver insignia for a long time. How many times had I seen this strapped to her throat, or lying on a dressing room table? Holding it in my hand now made the reality of the situation all most too much. Bella would never give this up. Unless she was never coming back.

I closed my fist around the cold metal and pulled the letter out of its sleeve. The paper was thick and heavy as it lay folded in thirds in my fingers. I looked up at Heidi one more time, not even knowing what I was asking from her and then unfolded the paper. Immediately, I recognized the scrawled handwriting.

_JP, _

_So by now, I'm sure that it's all over the news. I'm sorry about that; I know how much you hate the reporters. But you did ask for a Buddy Holly exit, so I guess its part of the plot. You need to know that I'm ok. I'm where I need to be and doing what I need to do. I know beneath those nasty dreads (seriously, cut those things. You're too good looking to hide behind them) that's what you're worried about. _

_I wish I had the words to tell you what you mean to me Asshole. I honestly don't think I would have survived the last several years without you. You gave me so much…my music, my sanity, my laughter and my extraordinary life. It started with Chip but only came to its full potential with you. I love you, more than I ever told you and more than you'll ever know._

_EverClear is yours now. When the time is right, J. Jenks has all the paperwork to turn over full copyright and legal ownership of the name to you. Use the songs in any way you see fit. I've always trusted you, so now is no different. I only ask that you allow Chip my share of the royalties from the first two albums. I owe him so much more than that, but I feel like that's how it should be. Keep the band going…it's always been your influence and vision that made us who we are. I just supplied the voice and a few bars on the piano. I can't wait to see where you take the guys from here._

_Take the publicity and make it work for you. The new album is all but done, so capitalize on it. The Cullen's will be available if you need them for a funeral, just let them know. Spin this into the greatest survivor story the biz has ever seen. And play your asses off every single night…you never know who might be in the audience somewhere! And if I see you slacking off…._

_Live your life JP. Love with all your heart, laugh with your entire body and hold on to the gift that you've been given with Heidi. I wish I could be there when you marry her (stop stuttering…you know its going to happen down the road). As my present to you, have someone play "You" at your reception and know that it's my love to the both of you. Give my chocker to Heidi…it's hers to hold onto now. I know she was never much for needles (tell me again how I let you convince me to get a tattoo?) so this can be her EverClear symbol. Tell her what it is and how much it meant to me. And tell her how much it will mean to me to know that she's holding it now. I wish I could tell you that I'll see you in a couple of months…but I have no idea how long it will be before I can be anywhere near people. Just know that someday, somewhere I will see you again. It will be when you least expect it but it will happen. _

_Take care of each other. Help Jane adjust to the new role (I hope!) and don't let Dimitri get drunk enough to tattoo any more body parts in New Orleans! Tell them I love them and always remember what we started the band for in the first place. _

_Until we meet again Asshole….I love you_

_Bella_

_**P.S….I'll take good care of her for you JP, I promise. Thank you for being such an amazing friend and protector to her for so long. You are my brother in every sense of the word. If you need us, let Jenks know. He doesn't know how to find us directly but he can get word to the people that do. Take care and we'll see you again….Edward**_

I read the letter a second and then a third time before I looked up at the other guys. Every one of them was openly crying but they each wore a smile on their faces as they did. The biggest difference by far though was Chip. He was still crying buckets but he wore the most serene look on his face as he clutched his own letter. She'd done it again. She'd managed to find a way to make us all feel better in our darkest hour.

My bitch.

My friend.

My Bella.

Jesus, I was going to miss her. Miss not arguing with her or teasing her. Miss the fuck out of writing with her. But she was right. I'd always known that she wasn't meant for this life long term. And when Edward reappeared, all it took was one look at him as he stared at her to know that they were just supposed to be together.

"Damn it, I love that little shit," Dimitri said as he rose off the couch and walked toward the fireplace. Felix nodded and then joined him in front of the blaze.

"Love ya kiddo, take care," Felix said as he tossed his letter into the fire. The edges immediately tuned black and began to curl inwards. Dimitri's piece of paper followed suit and was met with the same fate.

"If B thinks I can do, then I will," Janie said as she squished her way between the other two and tossed her own letter into the growing pile.

"Of course you can do it," I said, remembering Bella's words to me. "We all can. We're gonna use this shit to make EverClear the biggest fucking rock band in the world," I yelled as I pulled Heidi and myself up off the couch. I didn't want to burn the letter. I wanted to keep it with me. But I knew that it needed to be destroyed. I stood, surrounded by my band and in the arms of my girl and reread it one last time.

"I love you too Bitch," I said as the paper fluttered into the flames.

We all looked to Chip, still sitting in the same spot he'd been in all morning, his own letter clutched to his chest like it was a life line. The tears still poured but he was glowing with some emotion I couldn't put a name on. He looked back at us, understanding that his letter was the only one left to burn. With a pained laugh, he rose to his feet and into the hulking one armed hug that Felix offered.

"Always baby girl, always," he said cryptically before he too let his letter burn. With a harsh swipe on his cheeks, he faced us and I knew that the old Chip had reemerged. "So, we have to talk to the label about the funeral and then get you guys all dolled up."

We all laughed. Leave it to Chip to worry about what we would be wearing to the funeral. Shit, the funeral. Even with the knowledge we all possessed, I didn't want to think about going to a funeral.

My eyes caught the flicker on the screen and I reached for the remote once again. Just as I flipped the volume back on, Miss Tight Ass Hart herself started flappin' her jaws again.

"Thanks for joining us on tonight's edition of ET. We leave you with the final performance of EverClear before this terrible tragedy struck. Filmed just a week prior to the crash, the images you're about to see exclusively here on ET were filmed for an VH1 special commemorating the triple platinum status of the band's latest album "Open Door" and features a new song that is sure to be on the next release, due out in March. Thank you and goodnight."

The screen morphed into the set we'd played for the recording crew nine days ago. I couldn't help but smile as my bitch's smiling face filled the screen. She was sitting on a stool between me and Edward and looked more relaxed than I could remember her ever looking. She was dressed in a very un-Bella like outfit for a performance in a tight black tee shirt and jeans. Her crest fixed to her throat. On her right, Edward was sprawled on a stool with the acoustic guitar perched on his knees, that crazy ass hair sticking up in twenty different directions. The stuffy white button down that we'd given him shit about actually looked pretty fucking good on screen, just like Chip had said it would.

The whole room is filled with the soft sound of the guitar that Edward strummed. The fade in of the song the show had done actually sounded good. I'd have to remember that little trick. We all looked so relaxed on the screen. Jane at the piano behind everyone, Dim holding his electric and Felix at the tiny little drum kit that had been set up on the stage. But I wasn't prepared for the flood of emotions that surged through me when her beautiful voice rang out.

**Dear, my love**

**Haven't you wanted to be with me**

**And dear my love**

**Haven't you longed to be free**

**And I can't keep**

**Pretending that I don't even know you**

**And at sweet night**

**You are my own**

**Take my hand**

Fuck me running backwards. They'd written this song together a couple of weeks ago in yet another late night session at the piano. I had been on the verge of asking Chip how to sound proof their apartment. His not sleeping at all had translated into her sleeping during the day and the two of them staying up all night writing, playing, fucking…whatever the hell they did at all hours of the night. Heidi had even sworn she smelled freshly cooked Indian food at 4 am a couple of days ago. "Anywhere" was a product of those midnight collaborations and we'd already laid the tracks for it to be on the new album. But I hadn't realized what the song was about until I stood in front of the massive fireplace with the rest of the band.

They were saying goodbye to us. They were explaining themselves to us. Even then, more than a month ago, they'd known that their plans were solidified. I pulled Heidi closer into my side as I watched video Edward look up and into the mic in front of him as the chorus began. His voice was almost as emotional for me to hear as hers was and I cut my eyes to Chip only to see that I wasn't the only one fighting a fresh wave of tears. Only these had a distinctly happier feel to them.

**We're leaving here tonight**

**There's no need to tell anyone**

**They'd only hold us down**

**So by the morning light**

**We'll be half way to anywhere**

**Where love is more than just your name**

Bella looked at Edward with that same adoring look on her face as she started the second verse. I noticed with a little laugh that Felix was kinda rockin' himself in time with the music as we all watched our last performance as EverClear.

**I have dreamt of a place for you and I**

**No one knows who we are there**

**And all I want is to give my life over to you**

**I've dreamt so long**

**I cannot dream any more**

**Let's run away, I'll take you there**

The last line was a gorgeous run that she held even as Edward started the chorus again. It was unmistakable when I watched them together. They had laid it all out and sang it. They were leaving, running away, together. They'd known and were trying to give us a little heads up. We'd all just been too wrapped up in our own shit to notice. But as I listened to their voices merge together for the chorus, I understood that they weren't two people in love. They were so much more. They were two parts of the same whole. One simply could not exist without the other; just as the harmony that they sang on the television couldn't exist without them both giving themselves to the music.

Bella stood up off the stool on the screen as she readied herself for the bridge that even then, I'd thought was almost too sweet to put in. I'd given them a fuckload of hell about the words. But listening to them now, in light of my new understanding and here in the weight of our shared grief, I realized they were absolutely perfect.

**Forget this life**

**Come with me**

**Don't look back, you're safe now**

**Unlock your heart**

**Drop your guard**

**No ones left to stop you**

When he joined her in a repeat of the bridge, my tears started again. Their voices blended so perfectly. I looked down at Heidi, tears streaming down her face as she watched the two of them serenade each other. When they held the last note, they leaned into each other and pressed their foreheads together. The poor mic was a little staticy from trying to hold the power of their combined voice as she lead him through a run that I'm sure he wouldn't have come up with on his own. But the effect was magnificent.

"Fuckin' camera hog," I teased through a snotty nose as Dimitri stepped into the camera's view to play his solo. The returning laughter made me feel so much better.

"Damn, why didn't you guys tell me I was blocking Janie's wailing," Dim bitched as he watched himself take up most of the camera angle.

"We did," Jane and Felix both said at the same time as Chip shoved him lightly.

We watched the rest of the song as the credits to the douche bag show started to run over the image of us on stage. Her magnificent voice sounded like an otherworldly choir as she finished the song with the same graceful power that had defined our sound. I thought, for just a moment, about how hesitant she'd been to sing a single note. I had known as soon as she opened her mouth that her voice was incredible but even I had never guessed at the beauty of what her instrument would convey as I listened to her sing her final song with us.

There was still pain in all our hearts, that much was undeniable. But there was also a sense of rightness. Of acceptance. We would always miss them. Her especially. But we would always have her in our music, in our history and in our hearts. Bella would forever be linked to EverClear, embedded in the soul of our music for years to come. And Edward would be there beside her. Just as he would be beside her where ever they were in the world. Of that much, I was sure.

I hugged Heidi tightly to me. She looked up and kissed me very softly on the chin. Her eyelashes were still wet with tears but she, too, felt the shift in our emotions. I stared into the eyes of the woman that I knew, as Bella had, that I would marry. I felt home in her arms and eyes. I felt peace in her smile. And I felt love in every breath she took. I couldn't deny that if Bells and Eddie had felt the level of need for each other that I felt for her that they had made the right decision in changing her.

I was just counting the minutes until I could see my bitch again.

"Babe, how would you feel about the dreads going bye-bye?"

**Chapter notes: **sniffs nose in a very unladylike way and wipes eyes with back of hand** This one was a long time coming but also the hardest to write. Ever. Leave me some love and the bonus chapter should be up no later than Tuesday. **


	35. Chapter 35The Beginning

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**We made it guys. This is it, the final chapter of Revamped. There is an epilogue to go and it should be up by the end of the week. I am so emotional right now, I am going to save it for the epi but I need to tell all of you something. This entire process has brought so much to my life and it is all due to the readers. I have made friends and shared experiences that I never imagined as a result of these 2 stories. Thank you for being so open and honest with your reviews and suggestions. I have set up a Formspring page for any questions you guys might have for me personally or about the story. Just look me up at http (colon forwardslash forwardslash)www(dot)formspring(dot)me(forwardslash)chandler1200. It is completely anonymous and I will answer everything you guys ask.**

**I love you guys more than you could ever know. Thank you.**

**Chapter 34-The Beginning**

**2 Days Earlier**

EPOV

Damn it had been a long time since I'd done this. My branch that I'd used to sit on wasn't nearly as sturdy now as it had been six years ago. Several more years of snow and ice accumulation had left it weaker and much more pliable. I was still able to make the short jump to the window and pull myself inside soundlessly but it didn't seem as effortless as it once had.

I crossed the small room and stood with my back to the desk against the wall, staring at her. God help me, my wife was beautiful. She looked almost the same as she had the first night I'd pulled my way into her tiny bedroom as she sat propped up against the head board of the small bed clad only in a tank top and tiny boy-shorts. He eyes found me quickly and she moved over the thick purple comforter toward the foot of the bed. I met her in the middle and sat down on the mattress' edge, gazing at her shining eyes.

"Do you do that often?" The smile in her voice was unmistakable.

"Only the last couple of months," I said to her with a smirk, repeating my own words from so many years ago. "I like to watch you sleep. I find it kind of…fascinating."

She lost it. She laughed so loudly that I couldn't help but join her. Her eyes filled with tears and her face flushed with the effort of her full body chuckles. After several minutes, she finally calmed herself enough to speak again.

"God, it's only because of your stupid restraint that I didn't lose my virginity that night," she said as her arms reached for me. I very willingly went to her and we settled against the headboard together. I laid my head on her chest, her heart beat pounding out a steady rhythm that was faster than normal, probably from her exertion while laughing.

"You have no idea how hard it was to keep my restraint in tact that night as I watched you sleep. I'd never wanted anything more in my life," I confessed as her hand threaded through my hair.

"I love it when you purr," she said as she scratched her short nails across my scalp. I laughed at her description of my noises and as much as I wanted to deny that I didn't actually purr, I really couldn't. I did sound like the world's largest cat as we lay in the heap of covers together.

"I wonder what will make you purr?"

"Probably not having to worry about breaking anything," she snorted. I felt her shift and looked up to see her looking around her room.

There was not a single thing about Bella's room in Charlie's house that had changed over the years, except for the absence of her rocking chair and quilt that were now in her apartment in Seattle. It was exactly as it had been the last time I'd lay in this bed with her so many years ago. The strand of Christmas lights that was hung from one wall, the desk with the single wobbly leg in the corner, even the dark purple comforter that had adorned her bed and played host to me night after night. It was comforting to find the small things about her room still the same while so much else had changed.

"I feel like I'm breaking and entering," she mused as she continued to "pet" me.

"You can't be breaking and entering Bella. You own the house," I said as I looked up and into her eyes. A single tear slid down her cheek as she smiled at me.

"I still can't believe you did that for me. Thank you," she whispered as she kissed my forehead.

I sat up straighter and pulled myself closer to her. I rested my weight on my right hand braced against the mattress and cupped her jaw with my left hand. I wanted her to understand the sincerity of my words as I spoke.

"I couldn't let the walls of my life's happiness go to anyone else. This house needed to belong to you, just as I did. Even then."

"That's why this is possible," she said sweetly.

"Well, we could have gone to my house but I agree that here is much more appropriate. I fell in love with you in this house. As I watched you sleep."

"And I figured out what you were in this house," she retorted.

"I held you through the night in this house."

"I told you I loved you for the first time in this very room."

The depth of my emotions got the best of me at the reminder of what was still to this day one of the most extraordinary moments of my life. I kissed her deeply, my hand still holding her soft skin. There was no rush or hurry for either of us. We simply savored the taste and feel of each other. When I felt her chest heaving, obviously needing oxygen, I pulled away and shifted so that she was lying on my chest. With her leg slung over mine, the position recalled a hundred different nights that we'd spent in this room together.

"Is Alice sure this is going to work?" she asked me, her voice muffled against my stony skin.

"I'm going to tell Alice that you doubted her," I teased. Her head shot up and her eyes were wide until she caught sight of my face and realized I was kidding her. With a light slap on my arm, she returned to her position on my chest. "It'll be fine baby. Stop worrying. Alice was excited that she got to 'play Bella' in her words. She and Jasper will jump from the plane and swim to Isle Esme. It's not that far, particularly for vampires."

"It was so weird hiding in the airport in Houston."

"It was even weirder watching Alice bounce her way out the door wearing a long brown wig. But the plan will work. She's seen it."

"And Jenks' office will deliver the letters?"

"Yes baby, the morning after your 'death'."

I held still to see what her reaction would be to my words. True to Bella form, she didn't even flinch. Her breathing never faltered, her heartbeat stayed steady and her body temperature didn't move a degree. She truly had accepted her mortal death.

So had I.

That's why we'd returned to Forks.

During one of our many late nights, we'd talked about where we wanted to be when we changed her. She was unwavering in her decision that it needed to be done in Forks. I hadn't actually thought of returning but it made sense when she'd explained her desire to me. She was looking for continuity. For closure. In her mind, her mortal life had always ended in Forks and in a way I guessed she was right. Almost from that very first meeting in Mr. Banner's room, her life had taken a turn that would have inevitably led down this road. It was symmetry to come back to this house in particular to spend our last night with Bella as a human.

One last night to feel the petal soft skin, to feel the heated blush of her skin, to smell the painfully enticing aroma of her blood and to revel in the heat of her body. It wasn't that I was hesitant at all about changing her. Quite the contrary. But there were things that I would miss about her human form.

"Stop it," she whispered into the quiet of the night.

"Stop what?"

"Stop thinking about the things that you'll miss after tomorrow."

"I thought I was the mind reader," I said, amazed that she could pick up on my thoughts simply by watching me. Then again, Bella had always had my number. She knew, most of the time before I did how I would react or what I would feel about any given event. It shouldn't have surprised me that the biggest event of our life together was the same.

"You are the mind reader. I'm the Edward reader."

"Oh really," I chuckled. "And what is your Edward reading telling you right now?"

"That you really want to kiss me."

The mood shifted in an instant. I pulled her up my torso and captured her lips just as she wound her hands around my neck. Her miniscule weight on top of me was heaven. Again, there was no hurry, no rush to our explorations of each other. Tomorrow would come and there would be no need for her to be rested or strong. What we had planned for tomorrow would require her to be neither. Only brave as only Bella could be.

I took my time as I shifted us to a more comfortable position. We lay on our sides, wrapped around each other and simply kissed. It was so reminiscent of the nights we'd spent while she was in high school loving each other as only two innocents could. Our journey to bring us back to this point had been painful and horrendous at times, while at others it had been unrealistically wonderful. I could have lain in the small bed all night doing nothing more than kissing her sweet lips and feeling her body pressed against mine.

But her fingertips at the buttons of my shirt told me she had other plans. Slowly, she pulled each of them apart, her hands burning a path down my chest as she touched each new section of exposed skin. When she'd finally pulled the last button from its hole, she pushed the shirt over my shoulders. The silken feel of her touching me was torturously erotic. With a final push, the cotton fell into a wrinkled pile at the side of the bed and I felt the heat of her body against me fully.

I moved my mouth down the column of her throat and over her collarbones. The rush of blood beneath the surface no longer taunted me with images of danger or violence but with sensual images of changing her. I snagged the thin strap of her top between my teeth and tugged. A second later, the fabric fell away in shards, exposing her tight nipple to the cool air and my colder body.

I kissed my way down her chest, my destination clear, with no thought to time. I just wanted to feel every inch of her skin tonight. Wanted to taste it. When I was inches away from her hardened nipple, she arched her back, pushing it into my marble lips. I smothered her with attention moving from one breast to the other, circling and teasing. Her leg, which had been thrown over my hip, slid sinuously up and down, creating the subtle friction that our bodies both craved.

I ran my hand down her side, over her hip and under her knee. The small gasp that escaped her lips as I hitched her leg up higher on my hip was my reward for reading her body's needs. My mouth was still latched on to her nipple as I tugged at the fabric of her shorts clumsily.

"Tear them," she moaned from above me.

I did. I pulled both of our garments away in the span of three heartbeats and shuddered when our completely naked forms made contact. When I could hold out my need for her no longer, I rolled us so that she was on her back lying beneath me. I raised myself up and nearly came at the sight as I looked down.

Her hair was fanned out around her on the white pillow, her eyes alight with love and desire in equal measure. Her trust and guidance was apparent in her vulnerable form below the monster that loved her. I lowered myself onto her, nestling my lower half between her legs. She'd told me time and again how much she liked my weight pressing into her, so I gave her all I could as I aligned our bodies.

I laced my fingers with hers and brought them so that our entwined hands rested beside her head. I stared into the eyes that would by this time tomorrow be closed and changing from the deep brown haven that I'd found my salvation in to the crimson irises of my kind. I slid into her with ease and had to still myself for a moment as the heat and overwhelming moisture of her body enveloped my mind and body.

We moved together in perfect harmony. We said nothing as we communicated all that needed to be said with our eyes and bodies. Every few minutes, one of us would lean toward the other and capture a kiss of pure devotion and commitment. We made love well into the night, neither of us wanting to finish this final show of her human love for me and my last chance to worship her human form.

It was the perfect setting for this precious expression of our love for one another. For all the exploration that we'd done, for all the somewhat deviant things we'd tried and witnessed since we were married, nothing would ever top the sheer exultation that making love to my wife would bring. We had eternity to explore every boundary we could think of but I would always think of our most intimate act as making love while watching one another's emotion. There would never be a sight as beautiful as the moment when my wife gave her trust to me completely by allowing herself to give in to her body's pleasure.

Finally exhausted and both of us fully sated, she fell into a deep sleep in my arms. Her back was pressed tightly to my chest at my request. I could both feel her every heart beat against my skin and hear her every breath from my position. Numbered as they were, I wanted to commit each one to memory as she slept dreamlessly in my embrace. I watched the night sky turn from blackest ebony to a deep purple and onto the blossoming colors of dawn as my wife slept for the last time.

The heat of the winter sun warmed my body under the covers and swathed me in her glorious scent. It was nearly noon before she stirred from her slumber. When she stretched her arms and legs to shake the last remnants of sleep from her body, I shifted for the first time so that I could look at her in the haze of sleep one last time. Her hair was matted and tangled around her shoulders but still fell in tantalizing waves down the expanse of her naked back. Her eyes were heavy and hooded, a small bit of sleep still clinging to the inside corner of her eye. There was a red mark on her left cheek from where her hand had been pressed against her skin as she slept.

I had never, in more than one hundred years, seen any sight that could rival her innate beauty in that moment.

"Good morning my love," I said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the solace of the stillness in the house.

"Hmm…good morning to you," she replied, her voice still slightly thick with sleep. "Did you stay in bed all night?"

"Where else would I be?"

"Never mind," she laughed as she sat up against the headboard. "I guess I know what you were doing."

"Yeah, you can probably guess," I said honestly.

I had expected there to be a…heaviness to the morning. A sense of loss or regret or…something. There was nothing mournful or sterile about today. I looked into her perfectly peaceful eyes and I saw nothing but anticipation. She was ready.

"Do we have a time frame?" she asked quietly.

"No. Carlisle and Esme are in Olympia. Whenever we're ready, they'll be there to meet us."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Baby, wild horses couldn't drag me away," I said as I sat myself up and took her in my arms. She leaned her head against my chest and ran her fingers up and down my stomach, her nails ghosting across the defined ridges of my abs. "Not even Carlisle driving like an old man could tear me away from your side."

The plan had been set for sometime now. Once the change had begun, I would carry Bella to the car that was already waiting for us and get us to Olympia. There, my parents were waiting and would accompany us back to the house in Oregon. We'd decided to go there because of the incredible remoteness of its location. Just outside of Crater Lake, there wasn't another home or structure for miles. Her change would be completed there and when she awoke, she would have more than three hundred acres at her disposal to satiate her thirst.

But the initial location of the "act" itself was a different matter. We'd tried to think as logically and responsibly as possible about her awakening. But the location of the beginning of our forever was anything but. We had been in complete agreement that while it wasn't the most convenient place, it was the only place that either of us wanted it to happen.

"Hungry?"

"No. I don't think I could eat right now. And it's not like its going to affect me," she said as she pulled back the covers and slid out of the bed with a huff. The cold air of the room immediately hit her, causing her entire body to break out into goose bumps. She shivered as she pulled the robe from our suitcase and wrapped it around herself. I smiled as I watched her flip the terrycloth lapel up and around her neck, trying to find warmth in the flimsy garment.

"Its warmer over here baby," I teased, patting the vacant space on the mattress beside me, as she dug through the bag, no doubt in search of a pair of socks. She hopped back and forth from foot to foot as the soles of her feet made contact with the frigid wood of the floor, looking very much like a toddler that had to go to the bathroom.

"Yes, I'm sure it is. But I need to attend to my human needs at the moment. And as pervy as you are, I'm not willing to do that while lying beside you."

"Um…thanks very much for that. You're right, that's not even a blip on my perversion radar."

I watched her pad her way out of the room and heard the click of the bathroom door. Raking my hands over my scalp and face, I listened to her perform her morning ritual. Bathroom first, followed by brushing her teeth and then the unmistakable yanks as she tried to pull the hairbrush through her hair.

"I'm cutting this shit as soon as I wake up," she yelled from the bathroom as the sound of the hairbrush clattering to the floor echoed off the tile, only to be followed moments later by the metal knobs of the shower squeaking as she turned them.

"Not too short. And let Alice do it or she'll torture you for a decade," I hollered back at her, loud enough for her to hear my voice over the running water. In just a few short days, such acts would no longer be necessary. She would possess the same hearing, the same eyesight as me. I chuckled to myself at the thought as I wrenched myself out of the bed and the heat of her scent.

"I know, you like it long. But butt length really won't be necessary anymore," her voice trailed off. I didn't need my brother's abilities to know what she was feeling, nor did I need to read her mind to know what was in her head as I heard her step into the nearly scalding water.

I slid in behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She leaned back into my body but didn't speak. The moisture from the ancient shower head rushed over her cheeks and shoulders as she tried to let the tears mix with the water. I placed several soft kisses along her back as I held her until the salty smell dissipated.

"They'll be fine baby."

"I know," she said, her voice shaking. "But it just hurts. Especially Chip and JP."

"We'll see them again. As soon as you're able, I promise."

I felt her spine straighten as her resolve solidified itself once again. With a final huff of her chest, she turned and faced me, wrapping her arms around my neck and bringing me fully into the spray above us. Her eyes still glistened with the combined wetness of our location and her emotions but the small smile that graced her lips was in no way forced.

"You're right, I know it. And this is what I want. I just hate to hurt them. If there was any way…

"Any way you could avoid hurting them, you would have. Bella, love you've done everything you possibly could have to make this as smooth as possible. Its time to let things happen. Chip and JP, and the rest of the band for that matter, will be okay. They're tough. And when the time is right, I promise, I will take you to them myself."

"I love you Edward," she breathed against my lips as she kissed me.

"I love you too Bella."

Three hours and one very long languorous shower later, we made our way through the familiar path. The colors of our surroundings weren't as they had been the last time we were here together but the shapes and twists and eaves of limbs were. Hand in hand, we walked through the maze Mother Nature had crafted toward our eagerly anticipated destination. Tucked under my right arm was the bag containing the blankets, towels and fresh clothes that Alice had told us she had seen we would need just before she'd ducked out of the lavatory at the Houston airport.

I glanced at my watch at the thought. Right about now, Alice, Jasper and Rose were somewhere off the coast of Brazil, swimming and probably cursing their way toward the island. Within the next two hours, the first reports of the crash would begin to make its way back to the US. By the time the first reporter got excited about their breaking story, we would be on our way to Olympia. Under the cover of darkness and into the waiting arms of my parents. My wife would, hopefully, be incoherent by that point and we could simply disappear into the night and the wilderness of Oregon.

"Do me a favor," she said in a voice so low that had I not had the extremely sensitive hearing I did, I would have missed. "Stay here a moment."

I knew instantly what she was asking me for. The last twenty-four hours had been a myriad of recollection and recreation for us, so it made sense that she would want this experience as well. I watched her wander through the last ten feet of the tree line and step into the wide circular expanse of our meadow. She took several paces forward and stopped, her head circling slowly as she looked around the most magical place in our world.

The flowers were dormant now, brown and limp. There were no leaves on the trees that surrounded us but the cold summer sun bathed the entire area in a shimmer of light. After several moments, she turned to face me and my breath caught in my throat.

"I came here once," she said into the shadows of the trees where I stood. "After you left. I came here to try and find you. Not literally, I knew that wasn't possible, but to find your essence. Your voice."

I stepped into the light and the spectrum of color that my skin threw covered the area. I looked down at my forearm, the light refracted into a prism of hues that could only be found in the supernatural world she was about to enter.

"I did too," I said solemnly. "The first time I tried to find you, after graduation. I came back here. I spent…"

"Less than a minute," we both said at the same time.

"This place is magical only when we are both here."

She nodded her head in agreement. I crossed the dried boughs and stood before her. We were here, in this most special of places on the cusp of the most momentous event of either of our lives. I looked into the eyes of my wife, my lover, my best friend, my muse and my confidant. In just a few hours, she would also be my mate. She would step into the world that I had always, on some level, longed for her to belong to. And in doing so, she would eternally seal not only her body but her heart and soul to me forever. I couldn't breathe as I felt the weight of the moment settle around me.

We walked together to the center of the meadow without as much as a word. We were, in that moment, perfectly in tune with each other. I dropped the bag on the ground in the very same spot that we'd lay in that first afternoon together. Bella dropped to her knees and pulled the blanket out of the top and spread it out on the ground. We both climbed slowly to the middle and lie down on our sides facing each other. Our positions mirrored each other, both of us propping our heads in our hands, our legs tangled together. A gentle breeze blew through the open expanse, lifting her scent and swirling it into the air like a dandelion.

"Tell me one more time," she asked as she threaded her fingers through mine and she lifted them to her lips. She placed a continual line of delicate kisses over my fingers and the back of my palm as I spoke.

"Well, per your request, I'll start the process as we make love. At some point, I'll bite both of your wrists. And when the time is right, I'll deliver the fatal bite. I'll drink enough to weaken your system but not stop your heart. The venom needs a heartbeat to circulate. Just before we leave the meadow, I'll bite just above your heart to make sure the venom has as much potency as possible but you probably won't be aware of that bite baby," My voice sounded much more clinical than I felt on the inside. I couldn't believe that we were here, discussing this as if it were merely the weather report. It seemed that I'd been waiting for this much longer than a single lifetime.

"When will the…pain set in?"

"It won't take long after the final bite. But once it does, I'll have us back to the car and on the way to meet Mom and Dad inside of five minutes. It won't full take effect for an hour or so and by then, I'll be with you while they take us to Oregon."

She didn't speak but nodded her head. I knew she understood the dynamics of the plan. We had discussed it at great length with my parents and with each other. She was looking for reassurance from me that I was okay with this. She found nothing but resolve as she looked into my eyes. And probably more than a little excitement.

I had been mortified when she had asked me if I was looking forward to tasting her blood again. I had wanted to deny it, wanted to be abhorred by the thought but she knew me too well. I **was** looking forward to it. Not just to indulging in the sweetest blood on the planet but also to what doing so would lead to. When I had guiltily confessed this to her, my miraculous wife had thrown her arms around me and told me she was looking forward to giving me the one thing that I'd wanted above all else. It was that incredible strength that had finally allowed me to shed the last strand of doubt and fully embrace what we were doing.

"It's not too late to go to Oregon for this," I tried to reassure her. We'd both felt that this act, in its intimacy and devotion, wasn't something to be handled like elective surgery. We both understood the need for someone, in this case my parents since our siblings were half way around the world staging our deaths, to join us for the bulk of the transformation. But the act itself, the bite, was much to intimate. This wasn't a sterile or meaningless act, nor was it a reason for sorrow or apprehension; this was truly the beginning of forever for us and would be celebrated by us alone.

Her deep eyes, so full of knowledge and love, stared at me for a brief moment as if I'd just spoken to her in tongues. A faint smile and a small nod of her head told me that she knew I wasn't really serious about my offer. I was as anxious for us to do this alone as she was. The particular way she had requested it be done almost dictated such privacy.

The first of the snowflakes began to flutter down as we gazed at each other, mirrored expressions on our faces. The exquisite patterns of the gliding ice caught in her hair and on the tips of her eyelashes, casting a truly surreal feel to the moment. I reached behind my back and yanked another blanket out of the satchel that we'd brought. With a quick flourish of my hand, the blanket settled down around our bodies, cocooning us in the soft folds of the down and cotton.

"I love you," she whispered as she leaned toward me, her full lips parted and her excitement glowing on her cheeks. When her lips touched mine, that ever present electric pulse between us intensified to a level that I'd never experienced. It was as if the universe understood what was happening and was responding physically.

"I will love you forever," I said with an awe in my voice that was reserved for her alone. I trailed my mouth down her chin and onto the curve of her neck. The pulse of her blood and the light scratching sound it made as it rushed through her veins seemed louder than it ever had. I knew, in some distant part of my mind, that it was no different. Only that my anticipation of what was coming in a very short amount of time had made me more acutely aware of its presence.

Our movements were familiar. My tongue on her collarbones, her hands gripped tightly in my hair, the way my elbow aligned perfectly with the curve of her waist as I pulled her body against mine, the incredible heat of her core, even through the cotton of her pants, as she pressed herself against me.

Still wrapped in the comfort of the blankets, we shed our clothing slowly. I took an especially long time as my fingertips grazed the petal soft skin of her breast and stomach. Every inch was already flawless but I knew that the next time I touched her so intimately, she would feel…different. Less fragile. Breakable.

When the last of our garments lay in a heap beside up outside the blankets, I shifted my weight so that I was covering her. Her delicate skin pebbled with the temperature of the air and the cold of my skin in the most delicious way. In perfect synchronicity, she opened her legs to me just as I shifted myself so that I was aligned with her white hot entrance. Her symphonic aroma of arousal and the feel of the wetness pooling was my heaven as I slowly shifted my hips forward, entering her with absolute adoration.

"I've waited a century to claim you as mine."

"I've waited a lifetime for you to claim me, my love. My mate."

"My wife, my lover, my soul…my mate," I whispered into the blowing winds coated with the dancing snowflakes. My words had never been truer or more heartfelt than at that moment.

Our rhythm picked up pace as our bodies both responded to the other. There was no thought to our movements, just the natural need to be inside of each other fully. I took her hands in mine, much as I'd done the night before on the tiny bed in her house. With a precision focus, I allowed my mind to begin the process of preparation for what I was about to do. My focus had to remain on her, even as her blood called to me in more and more intense songs.

"Edward…please," she panted as the first contractions of muscles in her legs and stomach began.

I leaned forward, kissed her forehead with all the love I had to give her and then shifted my head to the right. Over her shoulder. To her wrist. I ran my nose up and down the small expanse of skin just over the blue black veins of her arm. As the vampire inside began to take over, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the fragrance that was my wife one last time.

"Il mio cantante," I mouthed almost silently.

And then I sank my teeth into her skin.

The rush of perfection that flooded my mouth catapulted me to another level of ecstasy. The combination of her exquisite taste and the feel of her taking me into her body again and again was more than any mortal could have stood. I took on long pull of her blood, the liquid heat and the indescribable taste mingled into flavor that was simply unimaginable joy. With all my control, I withdrew my mouth and made a quick pass with my tongue over the wound to seal both the skin and the venom inside.

My wife, my indescribably incredible wife, made not a sound nor flinched away from the pain of my actions. Instead, as my mouth latched to her warm skin predatorily, she leaned her head up and kissed my neck as I drank from her.

With a sense of renewed determination, I moved to her other wrist.

"Amore mio," I called out as she began to tighten around me with more force, my mouth once again drinking the nectar that was my wife's freely given gift. When the second wound was sealed, I shifted my focus back to her glorious face, never once breaking my steady hammering pace as I made love to my wife

.

Her color had paled and her lips, usually almost scarlet, were turning the faintest hint of blue. But her eyes were wild with love and pleasure and anticipation. Her body was seizing at a rapid pace and I knew that the time was nearly upon us. This particular part of the process had been agreed upon even when we hadn't had a time frame.

"Mia moglie," I moaned as I slammed into her with more ferocity, the taste of her blood still on my lips. She opened her legs farther apart a split second before her orgasm ripped its way through her tiny body. Every muscle locked down, her heartbeat faltered for a second and she threw her head back in pure pleasure.

With the speed only being a vampire could have afforded me, I wrenched myself from her folds and moved so that I was eyelevel with her core. The slick flesh was swollen with need and I could actually see her clit throb with each jolt of pleasure. This was it. The moment that I'd longed for, dreaded, fought, coveted, feared, and reveled in….was now.

I sank my teeth deep into the skin at the juncture of her thigh and groin, drilling into her femoral artery. The rush of both her cum and her blood as they both flooded my mouth was without a doubt the most erotic and feral thing I'd ever imagined. The combination of the two and her scream of mingled pain and euphoria triggered my own orgasm. I drank deeply, each swallow sending my cock into spasms as I came again and again against her leg. Every mouthful allowed me to feel her heart beating frantically as it recognized its own demise being set into motion. Her hands gripped my hair tightly, nearly tugging it from the roots as she pressed me harder against her writhing body.

I had no idea how much time had passed as I drank. I knew I had not taken enough from her to kill her from the heat that still coursed through her veins. But when her moans turned to pained groans and her body ceased to shudder with her pleasure but with the fire of the venom racing its way through her veins, I released her from my mouth. I could feel a small trickle of blood on the corner of my mouth but I was so intent on watching her, that I made no move to wipe it away.

"Edward!" she yelled into the now heavily falling snow. "I…I….love you."

"I love you to baby," I replied as her hands pulled me toward her mouth. Seconds later, I was resting above her and looking deeply into her wide eyes. I leaned in to kiss her, forgetting the blood on my lips. But my wife returned my kiss with passion, her tongue swiping her blood into her own mouth as she plunged her tongue deeply into my mouth. The pain had arrived and my brave girl was trying to hold in her suffering. "Let it out Bella, I'll be right here the whole time. You've been so brave," I cooed as I stroked her cheek, now wet with tears I was sure she didn't know she was shedding. "Just give in sweetheart, no more fighting. I'll be here when you wake up my love."

She nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her body was revolting, trying to find a way to expel the venom that could not be held off. With another soft kiss on her lips, I dipped my head and pressed my ear against her heart. I listened to the erratic rhythm as it played out in her chest. Soon, very soon, it would cease to beat and she would be mine. I turned my head and quickly bit into the tender flesh at the rise of her breast, just above her heart. One last dosage of the toxin that would bind her to me forever was pulled into the harried chambers of her heart quickly.

We were done.

We'd done it.

Bella had slipped into the mercifully incoherent state that I'd hoped would find her quickly. It wouldn't be like this the entire time her change took place but I was grateful for the small reprieve that she had now. Her body was fighting and her mind was locking itself in for a battle. But the battle would be lost and when she returned to me, she would be a vampire.

I hastily dressed us both and shoved the items back into our duffle bag. I wrapped her body in the drier of the two blankets and cradled her in my arms, her head resting in the crook of my neck. I ran my way through the forest to our waiting vehicle, intent on making it to my parents before the real torture of Bella's change set in. I wanted to be able to hold her, comfort her and reassure her when it became more than she thought she could take.

As the dark SUV came into sight, I looked down at my wife, surprised to see her eyes open.

"Thank you," she rasped out hoarsely, her throat already raw from the change.

"Thank you, my love. I love you Bella."

I set her gingerly into the passenger seat and strapped her in. As I climbed in beside her, I thought of all we'd survived to get to this place. My life with Bella had already entailed so much: love, laughter, sorrow, longing, fear, adoration, danger, distance, loss, triumph and pleasure. But as I made my way out of the forest, away from where it had all started, I smiled to myself. We'd made it. We would never again be parted or separated. The future lay ahead of us, wide open and ever clear.


	36. Chapter 36EpiloguePart 1

**Author's Notes: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys knew that.**

**So here we are. Part 1 of the epilogue is now in the bag. I'm gonna get sappy on you guys for a minute, so just bear with me. **

**There are a few people that I absolutely have to thank for sticking with me throughout this journey. To the TwiTinis…ladies, I cannot thank any of you enough for all the humor, support, love and laughs that you have given me. I am so incredibly thankful for all of you. Michele, it was your idea to bring us all together and I will be in your debt for a life time for that. Crow, what can I say that would come close to being enough? Thank you for holding my hand and kicking my ass when it was needed.**

**I normally don't dedicate my chapters to anyone but this is going to be the exception. To my baby girl Taylor. Sweetheart, you are my light, my heart, my soul, my laugh, my imagination and the best of me all wrapped up in the package of a beautiful person. Thank you for all you are and all you give to me with your smiles and love. **

**Playlist:**

**Forsaken-David Draiman (Queen of the Damned soundtrack)**

**Snow White Queen-Evanescence**

**Excess-Tricky (Queen of the Damned soundtrack)**

**The Only One-Evanescence**

**Slept So Long- Jay Gordon (Queen of the Damned soundtrack)**

**Before I'm Dead-Kidney Thieves (Queen of the Damned soundtrack)**

**Not Meant for Me-Wayne Static**

**Bring Me to Life-Evanescence (live version will work best)**

**You guys have trusted me with the music for this long, so one last time…listen to the songs. All can be found on YouTube. This will give you a good idea of the direction that our heroes have taken their music.**

**See you all at the bottom.**

Epilogue

JP POV

8 Years Later

London, England

"I am not naming my child Pubert Jr. and calling him PJ."

"My name is Jared Paul, not Jared Pubert…."

"Sell your bullshit to someone that buys it baby. I know your name is Jared Pubert Dewhurst and I am not naming this child PJ," my wife said with so much passion that I realized it was best to let this little argument go for the time being. I placed her right foot on the cushion and picked up the left, intent on rubbin' some of the fire out of her. If I hadn't learned anything in the last couple of months, I had learned that a foot rub for a pregnant woman would do wonders to save my ass.

She was beautiful stretched out on the couch in the hotel room. Her dark hair was piled messily up on her head and she was wearing one of Felix's sweatshirts, since she refused to actually buy maternity clothes. But was made her so fucking gorgeous was the way she seemed lit up from the inside and the huge curve of her very pregnant belly, complete with a little popped out bellybutton that stood out like a cherry on top of a sundae. I watched as I kneaded the sole of her foot as her hands rubbed circles across the wide expanse of her stomach in soothing circles, comforting the kiddo inside.

"Ouch," she gasped and her body jerked forward a bit.

"What! Babe, what is it?" I kinda screamed as I dropped her foot and crawled down the couch toward her. I probably looked pretty stupid on all fours over her outstretched legs but I couldn't have cared any less.

"It's nothing but too much curry this afternoon," she said sweetly. And then burped right in my face.

"Damn babe," I said as I tried to avoid the funky smell that hung in the air. "Don't scare your old man like that. Where's Nana Chip?"

"He's with Marcus, why?"

"I want him to…"

"Did someone call for Nana?" Chip said as he barreled in from the adjoining room.

"Yes."

"No."

"What's a matter, honey? Baby D not liking this afternoon's Indian cuisine?" I laughed as Chip gently pushed my wife's back up and slid onto the couch behind her. She leaned back against his chest and he immediately began to rub her shoulders. "Sweet pea, at seven months pregnant, you've got to watch what you eat. Little bit in there takes after you, not his garbage disposal father."

"His?" I asked startled. Heidi hadn't wanted to know what the baby was when we'd done the ultrasound thingy but Chip had called it a "he" more than once.

"Yes, his. Mama here is carrying that baby too high to be a girl."

I leaned over and kissed the very top of her belly. I didn't care what it was, so long as it was healthy. The fact that I was gonna be a daddy in just a few weeks still amazed me. Not the least of which was that Heidi hadn't said word one about not touring any more. But that was my girl.

"And if you're wrong? If it's a girl, we still going with the name…"

A ridiculously loud pounding interrupted me. All of us turned toward the door of the suite, knowing it could only be one of a few people. I kissed her little outie and then pushed myself up and off the couch. I barely had a chance to open the door before Dim and Felix charged into the room like bulls.

"Dude! You won't fucking believe...hey Mommy, how's the bambino today?" Dimitri asked as he spied Heidi stretched out on the couch, as easily distracted as ever.

"Won't believe what?" Chip said, still rubbing the kinks out of her shoulders.

"We've got something you have to hear," Felix said with a look on his face that was completely stupid considering it was being worn by a man in his late thirties. I thought he kinda looked like one of the Little Rascals as I sank back onto the couch.

"You know Felix and I went out last night, right," Dimitri began as he sat down on the coffee table right in front of us. "About 1am, we were walking around and passed by this club. Wouldn't have known it was a club at all if we hadn't heard the music when the door opened." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his pack of smokes, only to meet the hairy eyeball of both my wife and Chip. With a huff, he put them back only to withdraw his ancient cell phone in their place.

"Fucker, I'm telling you, this music was smokin'. We tried to get in but the douche bag bouncer wouldn't let us past the front door. Even when we told him who we were."

"You two did not name drop?" Heidi said, laughing her ass off.

"Well, yeah, kinda," Dimitri confessed. "But I mean nothing was getting this guy to move. So we walked around the building and just kinda…"

"Tried to find a back door," Felix added. "But there wasn't a thing. Not even a supply door. It was weird. We were thinking that the sound would be great for an opening act. It was that raw."

"So anyway, we were hanging around the back of the club and well, let me let you hear it"

He squinted at the buttons of his phone and pressed a few of them before turning it to face us. The sound quality was rank. Of course, considering the phone was almost a decade old, I guessed it couldn't be expected to be much better. Dim had refused to upgrade, saying that he preferred his. But Heidi and I had laughed that he just didn't want to try and figure out a new one. I was laughing to myself when the melody coming out of the tiny little speaker shut me right the fuck up.

There was a heavy dirty bass line with a wicked drum line over it. The effect was eerie and absolutely fantastic. There was a familiarity to the cadence of the song that made my skin break out in goose bumps. But the voice. The voice that was singing made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Jesus, that sounds like…"

"That's what we thought, right?"

Both of them were looking at me with identical surprised expressions, nodding their agreement. The song was nothing like anything I'd ever heard him sing before but it was undeniably similar to his odd phrasing. There was an undefined growl to the vocals but still…

"Keep listening," Dimitri said with obvious excitement.

Heidi and Chip were now both staring at the little silver phone as intently as I was. The song came to a close with a primal scream as the instruments faded away. There was obvious clapping and cheering and then another song began.

This one had a techno bluesy feel to it. Obviously, a lot of keyboards in this band, whoever the hell they were. The intro was short before a new voice began to sing in a deep sultry register.

A female voice.

A female voice that I knew.

"God damn!" I yelled as I grabbed the phone out of his hand and pulled it to my ear.

The sexy as fuck lower registry that was singing flowed effortlessly into the chorus. A killer guitar line picked up just seconds before the chorus started, adding a heavy feel to the song that hadn't been there in the first verse. And then the singer switched from that deep tone into a climbing flowing tenor that made tears spring to my eyes.

**You belong to me**

**My Snow White Queen**

**There's no where to run **

**So let's just get it over**

**Soon, I know you'll see**

**You're just like me**

**Don't scream anymore, my love**

'**Cause all I want is you**

"Sweet mother of God," Chip said, tears dripping down his face too.

"Oh shit," Heidi whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

I could only utter one word as I stared a hole into the piece of plastic in my hand.

"Bella."

The streets of London were still crowded even at almost midnight as we rode silently toward the club. None of us spoke, all lost in the apprehension and excitement of the night. Felix and Dimitri were more relaxed than either Chip or me but the bouncing leg and the continued knuckle cracking gave away their anticipation. As the cars zoomed past us, I looked down at my left wrist.

I'd worn the crest Edward had given me the entire first year after their "deaths". It made me feel connected to them both. We had all needed that connection after she was gone. It was the same reason that we'd placed an empty piano on the stage for every show that first year. No one ever played it and we always had a single white spot shining down on it as a silent homage to our missing members.

Jane had stepped up to the plate and taken over lead vocals immediately. Her range was incredible and she had her own, albeit very different, stage presence. She had done a brilliant job but there were some songs we never played. "My Immortal" and "Bring Me to Life" were her songs and no matter what we did, it never felt right playing them without her. After that first year, our sound began to change pretty dramatically. We were still EverClear but it was a different band now. It had to be.

It was nearly two years after that cold December day before we'd heard from them again. An email wishing us all a merry Christmas and congratulations had shown up on the same day that I'd married Heidi. How they'd known we were doing it that day, I didn't know or care. The fact was that she had made the day as perfect as it could be without them in attendance.

Had they not been sure of the location, nothing on the outside of the nondescript building would have told me it was a club of any type. The cold air slapped me from my memories as we filed out and onto the small sidewalk, all of us fidgeting nervously.

"How do you propose we get in?" Dim asked as he stared at the thick steel door.

"I kinda have an idea," I said as I wrenched the door open.

The inside lobby was nearly pitch black. The only light came from a handful of candles that were scattered around the room. There was another heavy door directly opposite the entrance. The room was bare, except for a large table in the center and two enormous men sitting behind it, that were now glaring at us. Both of them were clearly vampires and clearly not pleased to see the four of us standing in the room.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" the man on the right sneered. His dark skin and long dreadlocks did little to ease the obvious dislike he had for us.

I shoved the sleeve of my left arm up obviously, intent on showing him the crest on my wrist, when the door behind him flew open with a loud bang.

"Laurent! Quit being an ass and let them in."

With a squeal that sounded like kids playin', Alice came barreling around the table and threw herself into Chip's outstretched arms. The three of us watched them jump up and down while they hugged, smiles all around. The guys at the table both looked properly chastised as they watched the exchange and quickly moved to open the door for us.

"I'm sorry Ms. Whitlock; I didn't realize they were your guests."

"Whitlock?" Chip asked as he pulled back to look at the little pixie. She looked exactly the fucking same as she always had, tiny and ready to burst at the seams. But her smile was blinding as she looked at us.

"For a couple of years now. We had to make some adjustments for a while. God, they are going to die! I didn't tell them you were coming," she said as she leaned in to kiss my cheek, Chip never releasing her. "Come on guys, they're about to start," she said, grabbing Chip's hand and dragging him behind her toward the thick door.

The room beyond the entryway was enormous. There were probably a thousand people packed into the space, all gathered around tables that were scattered about. And from the first cursory glance, they all seemed to be vampires. But what actually had my attention was the stage at the rear of the room. The set up of the instruments was nearly identical to what we'd always used. Dead center was a piano. I stared at the shiny black instrument and felt my heart fucking swell.

"This way guys," Alice chirped over her shoulder as she pulled Chip along in her wake, weaving in and out of the multitude of tables that covered the floor.

We were a little more than half way across the room when I spotted them.

"I'll be damned!" Emmett yelled as he stood from his chair and grinned madly. The volume in his voice made the rest of the heads at the table swivel in our direction.

They were all there, nestled together at a table on the front right, directly in front of the stage. Esme and Carlisle, Rosalie and Jasper all called out their own surprise and obvious joy at seeing us as we neared the table.

We were all passed around the group in a blur of handshakes and hugs, no one giving a shit that we were making a scene in the middle of the nightclub. Esme and Rose kissed us all, Jasper hugged me until I thought he would crack a fuckin' rib and Carlisle pulled me into a chair beside them that magically appeared out of nowhere, as he shook Chip's hand.

"Oh God, you look so good without the dreadlocks," Esme said as she ran her hands through my shoulder length hair. "How have you been, honey?"

It felt like no time at all had passed since the last time I'd been surrounded by them. The conversation flowed easily, everyone wanting to hear how we'd all been doing. Rose and Esme shrieked when I told them about the baby while Alice looked on smugly.

"I don't want to know, Alice," I warned her, knowing that her tiny head held the answer to the sex of the baby. Chip slapped my arm harshly with a huff but didn't ask her the question.

"How is she?" I asked everyone and no one at the same time.

"Good, now. Honestly though, she was a fucking nightmare the first year," Rose said with a laugh. "How many times was it she whipped Edward's ass? Four?" She looked around the room and I nearly fell out of my chair as they nodded and laughed to themselves.

"She got me and Edward that one time, remember?" Emmett chuckled as my eyes bugged out of my head.

"Yeah, but that was your own fault. We told you two not to sneak up on a newborn while they were feeding. But no….you two thought you'd be slick."

"Wait," I interrupted. "Bella, the same Bella that tripped a hundred thousand times, took them both out?" I asked, trying and failing to visualize it.

"Yep," Jasper cackled. "Took me and you," he pointed to Alice, "and Carlisle to calm her down." He looked at our apparently scared looking faces and smiled wickedly. "Its not unusual, guys. Newborns have very little control over their emotions and instincts. Bells did better than most, certainly better than I did. But you can't do stupid shit like sneak up on one while she was feeding and expect her not to go all gothic. Which, she did, all over both of them." He was all out belly laughing by the time he finished.

"Bella has always been passionate," Esme joined in. "I don't know why anyone thought she wouldn't be once she was changed. But Edward found a way to help soothe her when she gets worked up."

"How?" Chip asked, his hand threaded through Mama Cullen's.

"He plays to her. After the first couple of times, she started singing with him. We came home from a hunt one night to find them in the floor beside the fireplace, him playing the guitar and her singing. EverClear songs." Her eyes were soft as she muttered the last part in my direction.

"Yeah, we have some gorgeous recordings of the two of them," Carlisle volunteered. "That's actually how this," he nodded to the stage, "got started. She missed it and Edward, being Edward…"

"Will give her anything she wants," Dimitri finished, much to the amusement of the table.

"What has changed," Jasper said looking over his shoulder toward the stage "is what the songs are about."

"How do you mean?" Felix asked as a very tall dark skinned female vampire eyed him from the table next to us.

No one answered him because at the same moment the lights in the room went out completely. Total darkness fell over the entire room for a few seconds before a small spotlight illuminated Laurent in the middle of the stage. It was an odd sensation to realize that the only people in the room who actually needed the spotlight to see him were the guys and me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Just a brief announcement before we begin," his thick accented voice called out over the room. "As you all know, we have some very special…guests with us tonight." I felt all eyes in the room shift towards our table and shivered when I realized that it wasn't our status as EverClear that made us special but as humans. "Please show them your most civil courtesy."

"Translation," Emmett said as he stood up and faced the crowd. "They are not lunch, they're with us."

A round of chuckles broke out across the room as the tension relaxed in the wake of Emmett's declaration. While he'd delivered it with a smile on his face, it was abundantly clear, at least to me, that he was seriously telling some of the vampires in the room to leave us alone. I could have kissed him in that second.

"Without further ado," Laurent smoothly continued. "I give you EverMore."

The volume level of the crowd was extraordinary as the room went black again. The Cullen's were all on their feet clapping as an eerie note pierced the noise. Almost immediately a wicked bass line and drum accompaniment started up and a blue back light shone across the stage, illuminating the figures now standing there. I was absolutely dumbstruck as I tried to squint my eyes enough to make out who was on the stage. As I concentrated on that, a keyboard joined the mix. The effect was spooky as fuck and absolutely perfect.

I glanced over at Felix and Dimitri, who were both staring at the stage as if the secret to life was up there. Dim noticed me looking at him and grinned like a maniac.

"This is the song from last night," he said as he pointed toward the stage.

A tall figure with a low strung bass at his hips walked out of the shadows and toward the center mic. I knew instantly who it would be even before he stepped into the harsh white spotlight. The screams of the crowd grew exponentially as he approached, the females in the club especially going ballistic. The long fingers, the lanky strut as he moved… it could only be Edward.

I damn near fell out of my chair when I finally saw him. He took his place at the front of the stage with a cocky arrogant sneer that impressed the shit out of me. Tight as crap black leather pants and a black turtleneck shirt that looked damn near painted on against his pale skin gave him the perfect look at he played the hell out of the bass. His hair even looked longer, stupid as it seemed.

**I'm over it**

**You see I'm falling in a vast abyss**

**Clouded my memories of the past**

**At last, I see**

"Holy shit," Dimitri and I both said at the same time. His voice was unmistakable but rawer than I'd ever heard. He almost growled as he sang, much to the delight of the fangirls that had gathered in front of the stage. I was so distracted by the shift in his voice that it took a second for two things to register. Number one, Bella was not on stage and number two, Edward was playing the bass.

"When did he start playing?" I asked the table in general, shouting above the crowd's roar.

"Couple of years back, after he and Bella really started to work on this little project," Carlisle said as he leaned in close enough for me to hear.

The boy was playing the hell out of the guitar. I was thoroughly impressed with the dirty edge he was playing, not to mention that he was openly flirting with the women at his feet. I sat back in the seat, grinning at how different he seemed. The only way that tight-assed old fashioned Eddie would be sounding and behaving this way was if Bella had brought it out of him. I couldn't fucking wait to see what she would bring to the stage. I was pulled out of my own head when Edward began the chorus of the song and the place nearly exploded with the crowd's reaction.

**You see I cannot be forsaken**

**Because I'm not the only one**

**We walk amongst you**

**Feeding, raping**

**But we hide from everyone**

"Jesus," Felix whispered from beside me. "They're singing about being fucking vampires."

He was right. There was no mistaking that he was singing about being immortal. It was amazing and fascinating to watch. The song drove toward its climax in a furor of bass and primal screams. Even if I had not been a musician, even if I had not known Edward years ago, I would never have been able to pull my eyes away from the stage. He was fucking electrifying to watch.

We'd played for a hundred thousand people many times but never had we reached the intensity of the crowd I was surrounded by. They were all but fawning over the band and it was only a single piece into the set. The song came to a screeching scorching end complete with a guttural wail from Edward that was nearly frightening and the applause of the crowd was bordering on deafening.

The crowd roared and so did we. I could hardly contain myself as I screamed at the top of my lungs. Even Chip, who generally refused to do more than a polite clap for anyone, was wrapped arm in arm with Alice and jumping up and down. Edward looked around the room with an easy smile on his face, taking in the reaction from the adoring crowd below him. It seemed almost like slow motion as he turned his head toward the table that he knew his family waited at.

The moment his eyes caught mine, his smile grew even wider. His right hand shot out, finger extended in greeting and he laughed. From beside me, Dimitri stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled at top volume. Looking up at him, it was, again, as if no time had passed. The familiarity with the man on stage was as easy as if I'd seen him yesterday and not eight years ago.

With no pause in the set, the next song began with an eerie organ and the lights in the room all went down again. The intro was a strange cadence that fuckin' rang of Bella. After just a few seconds, the deep husky voice rang out from the back of the crowd. Every head in the room whipped around and landed on the single white light and the figure that stood in its glare.

"Good God!" Felix shouted, much to the delight of the Cullens.

Standing on a balcony that I hadn't even noticed until then was none other than my bitch. She looked exactly the same, only…better. She'd cut the ass length hair so that it now fell to just an inch or so from her waist. The bangin' bod that I'd watched night after night for so long was even hotter now, her curves more defined and her sex appeal exponentially magnified. And apparently, Chip wasn't the only one who liked her in tight short things on stage.

The dark blue leather dress was sleeveless with a high neck. But there was a large cutout on her chest that showed her collarbones and the top of a set of tatas that damn near made my mouth water. It was so tight, it almost looked like second skin and the bottom of the dress was shorter than if she'd just been wearing those sexy little boy short panty things. Her legs had always been rockin' but she towered on the edge of the balcony in the highest heel I'd ever seen her wear.

I glanced back over my shoulder to find Edward, standing on stage literally licking his lips. The dude looked like he was going to eat her alive at any second. I laughed at his obvious raging hormones and then turned back to Bells just as she started to sing.

**Stoplight**

**Lock the door**

**Don't look back**

**Undress in the dark**

**And hide from you**

**All of you**

**You'll never know the way your words have haunted**

**I can't believe **

**You ask these things of me**

She was singing in a range that was deeper than I'd ever heard her before. It shouldn't have surprised me though. Edward always had liked that range and for a song that they had written together, it was natural that he would have convinced her to start out so low. I watched absolutely transfixed as she slinked her way around the balcony, every person in the room, male and female, all but drooling as they watched her. With perfect timing, she descended a set of stairs right beside our table that led to the stage. As she crossed the platform, I got a good look at the back of her dress. The entire thing laced up from the top of the neck to the very bottom of the hem. Only the lacing was not pulled all the way together. Most of her back was exposed to the very edge of her ass, which swayed hypnotically with every step she took.

And there at the very base of her spine was her tattoo.

"Fuckin' A," I said as I turned to Carlisle, who looked like a proud papa as he watched the two of them. "How did her tat survive, Daddy C?" I screamed over the music to him, forgetting that it probably wasn't necessary.

"It was fully healed when she changed," he said, craning his neck and leaning in close to me. "It's only physical traits that are damaged or ill that are repaired. She'll have that mark for eternity," he finished with a smile. Just as he finished, she wheeled on the crowd and grabbed the mic.

**You belong to me**

**My Snow White Queen**

**There's no where to run**

**So let's just get it over**

**Soon, I know you'll see**

**You're just like me**

**Don't scream anymore**

**My love**

**Cause all I want is you**

"Holy crap!" I said to no one in particular as I let the words sink in. Her change. The song was written by Edward about her change. It was as clear as if he'd told me himself once I put it all together. Besides the obvious, I know understood the reasoning behind not letting anyone into this club to hear the fucktastic music. Bella had always written about her life, her emotions and her experiences. But combined with Edward and what their life was now, those experiences were not the sort of thing that they would ever want to share with the world.

As my bitch sang the next verse, I looked over at Chip to find him crying and laughing at the same time. I knew that of all of us, he'd missed Bella the most. She had kept in touch with him and I knew that he and Alice got together from time to time but it wasn't the same as having her near him on a daily basis. He loved her to this day as if she was his own and I was positive that she loved him every bit as much now as she always had. It was really almost comical to see him with his arm around Alice and Mama Cullen holding his hand as he watched something that none of us had thought we would ever see again.

The song continued and the notes climbed higher and higher. She had more control now than she had in the best of our performances. It was amazing to watch her from the audience vantage point. Her every move, every note was perfect. There was absolutely nothing about the entire performance that even the most hardened critic could have complained about. She was beautiful and sexy and talented beyond imagination. I sat back down in my seat as she hammered the song's ending and just relished in the surreal feel of the whole damn night.

The third song of the night was a kickin' mix of blues and metal and techno that no one else performing could have pulled off. It was a duet, sort of, with Edward more speaking the lines than really singing them and Bella holding to a single range of notes. But the best part of the song was that she was playing. The huge polished instrument stood out under the lighting rigs like a beacon when I'd first walked into the room. But seeing her sitting there, back straight as a rod and pounding the keys was dream-like. I'd seen her play thousands of times but it had never felt as moving or as powerful as it did in that moment.

I glanced around the stage at the other musicians. There was a male guitarist that looked very young and a female behind the keyboard setup that was smaller even than Alice. The drummer was just down right scary looking behind the enormous rig with his glowing eyes and jet black hair. I looked over at Jasper, only to find him staring at me intently, his eyebrow cocked up.

"A lot to take in, isn't it?" he asked knowingly.

I just nodded at him, trying to watch the show and talk to him at the same time.

"That's Peter on guitar and his wife Charlotte behind the keyboard. Friends of mine. I introduced them to Bella several years back. Edward has, of course, known them for a while but it wasn't until Bella met them that it really clicked. That's Garrett on the drums. A strange guy but not bad. And very talented. He has to be. You wouldn't believe what a slave driver she can be when they rehearse," he finished with a smile in her direction. It was obvious that as close as they had been so many years ago, they were much more so now. I still couldn't think of him wrapped in a blanket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" without cracking up. Or without missing her.

As Jasper finished his explanation, and quite frankly his creepy as hell assessment of my flying moods, the song finished and she started another one. The beat of this one was slow and erotic but heavy nonetheless. A heavy piano gave the feeling of the song a somewhat somber feel to it. When she started the first verse, it was again in that same low register. I was not the only one that found it humorous that all of the new songs seemed to be musical hard ons for Edward, getting a glimpse out of the corner of my eye at Felix as his monster shoulders shook

When she hit the chorus, she switched up an octave without so much as batting an eye and stalked away from the piano. She grabbed the mic as if it had done some horrible disservice to her and sang her fucking ass off. The words were full of bleak images and emotions but I couldn't put my finger on what she was singing about until she hit the bridge of the song.

**Don't look down**

**Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you**

**Don't look down**

**You'll fall down**

**You'll become the sacrifice**

**Right or wrong**

**Can't hold on to the fear**

**That I'm lost without you**

**If I can't feel**

**You're not mine**

**I'm not real**

Edward. It always came back to Edward with my girl. Even now, immortal and bound to him in a way that I couldn't even begin to imagine, she still worried about losing him somehow. She had always poured her love for the man beside her onstage into her songs and it made me feel oddly comforted to know that at least some things never changed. I looked over at him, his eyes fixed on her as she sang. There were emotions in her lyrics that I couldn't begin to understand. I loved Heidi more than anything in the world, loved my child in her belly more than my own life. But the bond between them was almost like a life line. While I wouldn't want to exist without Heidi, they **couldn't** exist without the other. It was beautiful and heartbreaking to watch in its expression upon the stage. God help them if anything ever happened to the other.

I looked up at Edward as she brought the song to a close. He had that same expression etched upon his face as he watched her every move. He looked almost ravenous to touch her. It was a little odd to see him so unrestrained in his blatant desire for her. It had always been painfully obvious how much he loved her but looking at the vampire not hiding behind his human face was startling. It was raw. Feral. Animalistic. And really made me want to go back to the hotel and attack my wife.

"Watch this shit," Emmett barked out, pulling me away from my fantasy about Heidi.

The drummer started playing a nasty beat and the predatory gleam in Edward's eye got even more pronounced, hard as it was to believe. He slowly walked up behind Bella and wrapped one arm around her waist. He took her right hand in his as she looked over her shoulder coyly at him. With very deliberate slowness, he backed them both up, never breaking eye contact with her until he was right beside the piano. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it but it was almost pornographic to watch. She stepped around him, now matching the hungry look in his eye and sank down onto the hard piano bench.

The notes were simple but added a layer to the song that made it almost evil sounding. She looked down at the keys while he obviously stared at her playing. From our vantage point, it wasn't hard to make out the tell-tale sign of his…arousal. Not that I was looking. But damn, it was hard to miss as he leaned over her like he was gonna fuckin' chomp on her at any minute. Just as the keyboard signaled a change in the direction of the song, he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked it back roughly. He leaned all the way over her until they were face to face. My jaw dropped as he then proceeded to lick all the way across her mouth. Even from the distance, it was easy to see that she was shakin' as he released her head and stepped toward the front of the stage.

"The first time he did that, they had to stop the show because she attacked him," Emmett laughed. Looking at my girl's face, it wasn't difficult to understand that the "attack" Em was referring to wasn't the same kind as he'd meant when he told me about her feeding.

The song was gritty and dirty. A hard edged bass line gave Edward the perfect vehicle in which to showcase his new found stage persona. Every time he'd been on stage with us, the crowd had gone nuts. But had he had this kind of persona at the time, he'd have caused a friggin' riot every time he took the stage. When he stepped in front of the mic, the chicks that had gathered again at the edge of the stage all but lactated on the dude's boots as he swiveled and gyrated his hips.

**Walking**

**Waiting**

**Alone without a care**

**Hoping **

**Hating**

**For things that I can't bear**

**Did you think it's cool**

**To walk right up**

**To take my life**

**And fuck it up**

**Well did you, did you**

"Oh my God!" Dimitri laughed as we watched the show. "I cannot believe that is Edward."

"That is not the man that I met that first night in Atlanta," Chip howled as he clung to Ali and the oh so delectable Rosalie.

The chorus of the song got even heavier and grungier, much to the delight of the crowd. As awesome as the music was, it was again the lyrics that floored me. I had heard the story of how they met only once many years ago. But there was no doubt in my mind, or anyone in the club's, that was exactly what the song was about as he sang the chorus of the song.

**I see hell in your eyes**

**Taken in by surprise**

**Touching you makes me feel alive**

**Touching you makes me die inside**

The response from the crowd was unbelievable. They ate the shit up and were begging for more. The next verse was very much the same. Edward played the bass like he'd been doin' it forever. He openly flirted with the females in the crowd and I was reminded of my words to Bitch in Atlanta all those years ago. Every single person watching the show either wanted to be him or wanted to fuck him. Only they were much more obvious about it than any of our crowds had ever been.

As the song moved towards the bridge, Edward crouched down at the very edge of the stage and sang the words into the glowing eyes of the females gathered there. I looked up at Bella, expecting to see some sign of jealousy. I laughed, loudly, when I saw her though. Her eyes were fixed on him, or more precisely his ass, and the look on her face was pure unadulterated lust. She looked about ready to fuck him right there on the stage, not that the thought was unpleasant.

**I've slept so long without you**

**It's tearing me apart too**

**How to get this far**

**Playing games with this old heart**

I cut my eyes toward Alice and Chip, who were both openly laughing as they watched the two of them in their little cat and mouse game on stage. Chip looked like he was about to burst with pride as he watched them. Edward stood very suddenly and turned his back to the crowd. He slinked towards my girl, eyes locked with her.

**I've killed a million petty souls**

**But I couldn't kill you**

**I've slept so long without you**

He held the last note until the song's chorus resumed. It was odd to see Bella singing strictly backup but the effect was fantastic. They sang back and forth to each other for the remainder of the song, never once looking anywhere but at each other. The fawning women on the front row never lost their enthusiasm but it was clear to everyone in the room that they were playing for each other alone.

When the song came to a close, the crowd erupted into screams. Edward faced the crowd and gave them this little shit eating grin, like he didn't know that half the room had creamed themselves watching him. They continued on with two more songs, one by Bella that was all but an S&M performance with the way she swiveled her hips around and teased her man and then one down right scary song that Edward took the helm for. The sound of the band was so different but so similar at the same time.

When they finished the last song, I was ready for the set to wrap up so that I could talk to my girl. I was fuckin' bouncin' in my seat to see her. It was obvious that Dimitri and Felix and especially Chip were thinking the same thing. But as usual, my bitch surprised me.

"You guys like the show?" she called out, her voice now carrying a timber to it that reminded me of Alice. It was still Bella but more…beautiful. The crowd screamed their approval of the show and she smiled indulgently at them. She rose from the bench at the piano and walked toward the front of the stage. I was a little shocked to see Edward set his guitar on the stand and take her place in front of the keys.

"We have some special guests here tonight," she crooned to the crowd in a voice that dripped with sex. But the thing that had me fuckin' spellbound was that for the first time all night, Bella was staring straight at us. Edward was playing very softly behind her. My girl smiled a million watt grin at me and crooked her finger toward the three of us at the table.

"Does she mean…" Dimitri trailed off.

"Yeah, I think she does," I said as I bolted out of my chair and climbed toward the stage.

Just as I made it to the edge of the stage, the opening bars of "Bring Me to Life" flowed out of the piano. The crowd nearly took the walls down with their screams and whistles. I pulled myself up and stood face to face with my Bitch. She was more beautiful than I thought was even possible. And her smile was enough to melt me. All the peace and happiness and love I'd ever wanted for her was there shining in her gold eyes. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek just as Dimitri hugged her from the opposite side.

It was just like always. There was no need to talk about it. No need to discuss anything. We all took our places on the stage to the nearly devastating roar of the crowd. As I slung the bass strap over my shoulder, I looked out to see Alice holding a video camera up.

I took a deep breath and let the joy of the moment wash over me. We were doing what none of us had ever thought we would be able to do again. For one brief moment, one night, we were playing with Bella. I hit the first note and smiled like a fool as her voice rang through the room.

EverClear was reunited.


	37. Chapter 37Epilogue Part 2

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.**

**So here we are guys, the end. It is absolutely killing me to type those words. I have loved every second of this experience. But it would never have been even close to as fulfilling if it weren't for you guys. Your reviews and PMs and comments took what would have been a rewarding undertaking and made it into an extraordinary experience. I cannot thank each and every one of you enough.**

**One last time, let me hear what you guys thought. I love you and will see you soon.**

Epilogue- Part 2

13 Years After London

Seattle, Washington

Chip POV

"I'm not sure I can do this," I said for at least the tenth time in the last hour. I looked into the mirror and straightened the bowtie that had been so expertly tied.

"Of course you can, Queenie." Marcus' smooth hand slid comfortingly over my shoulder and squeezed gently. I looked at the reflection of the beautiful man behind me. His dark hair was still as shiny and full of body as it always had been. His piercing blue eyes were ringed with laugh lines that told the story of our life together and his once trim body was rounder and softer than it had been in his youth. But as he smiled lovingly at me, I realized that I loved him more now than I had more than thirty years ago when we'd met. "There's no one else that could do this better than you. And it would be a shame for that Armani suit and the dashing man in it not to be seen by the world."

With a small kiss on my cheek and a reassuring smile, he turned and walked toward the door to the seating room beyond. I watched for a moment, marveling at the fact that after all these years, he still had one of the best asses in the world.

I looked back at my reflection again. The gray hair that I'd kept so short for all those years had disappeared more than a decade ago. Marcus had always been the beautiful one in our relationship. Baby girl had always described my figure as being that of a penguin and the years had done nothing to dispel that image.

Baby girl.

"God Almighty, I wish she was here for this," I whispered to my reflection.

I knew that wish was impossibility but it didn't stop the thought from slithering into my head as I listened to the polite applause from the other side of the stage. It had been more than a year since I'd seen my girl. For our thirtieth anniversary, Alice and Bella had flown Marcus and me to the Cullen's island for a month long getaway. It was perfect timing, as usual with that doll-like pixie, because the band had just wrapped up their latest tour. We'd been there a little over a week and were lying on the beach when a brilliant blue speed boat came roaring toward the shoreline. It had been breathtaking to see Bella and Alice perched on the front of the boat, both throwing prisms of light in every direction, with Edward and Jasper in the rear smiling as if they hadn't a care in the world. They had stayed two nights with us before disappearing into the horizon at sunset.

"Chip? Five minutes," an extremely young man with a set of giant headphones around his neck said from behind me. I nodded my head in acknowledgement and watched as he turned and walked away.

The thick red curtain to my left was heavy in my hand as I pulled it back just enough to peek out into the audience. Sitting there in the front row was my family. At least most of them. JP and Heidi were in the very center of the front row. They looked magnificent. Rock and roll's reining couple. I laughed to myself as I looked at Paul, the fourteen year old reincarnation of JP, sitting beside his dad and obviously ogling some up and coming ingénue that was a few seats down from him. On his right was Isabella, my eleven year old protégé and the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. She was the perfect mix of her parents with JP's strong jaw line and Heidi's eyes. She was like her namesake in her demeanor though. Quiet, studious and introspective but with a sense of style that rivaled the most seasoned veteran. I smiled as I saw the pendant tied loosely around her neck. Tonight was the first time that I'd seen the EC pendant in a long time. I had known that Heidi was going to offer it to her to wear tonight. The symmetry of the gesture seemed too fitting for any of us to pass up. And perched in the lap of Heidi's vintage Vallentino dress was four year old Jared. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the little man in his black leather jacket that matched his dad's down to the intricate stitching. He was the livewire of the bunch, hence his captivity in his mother's arms. There was a string of hotel rooms with broken lamps and mirrors that wove a pattern of his boundless energy throughout the US and Europe.

Dimitri was on Heidi's left, his long dark hair pulled back in the ponytail he'd worn for years now. He was talking quietly to Chelsea, his wife of six years. Chelsea had been good for Dimitri in every possible way. I felt the stirrings of "Nana", as all the spawn of the EverClear members called me, as I watched him gently rub her stomach. She wasn't far enough along yet to show that she was pregnant and the band had not made an announcement but the intent of the action was clear. By this time tomorrow, it would be all over the internet and tabloids that EverClear was going to have another little head banger touring with them soon. They were the quietest of all the couples, opting out of the limelight as much as possible. But as I looked at them sitting side by side and holding hands, I knew that I didn't have to worry about the lanky guitarist anymore. He'd found his soul mate.

And then there was Felix, Jane and their hockey team. He was still massive, the nightly workouts on his drums keeping him in the kind of shape that should be impossible for a man in his mid forties. But then again, in his off time, he chased around the five little hellions that were his sons. I loved every one of them dearly but when you got them all together, it was inevitable that something was going to get destroyed. It had shocked us all when he and Jane had turned up married. They were the most unconventional couple I'd ever known. It was well documented, both publicly and privately, that Jane had an affinity for women. I had always assumed that she was a lesbian, although I'd never come right out and asked. We had always known that she and Felix were closer with each other than with any of the other band members but we'd had no idea that they had been "together" for years until they returned from Vegas married. They were amazing parents and devoted to each other, much to the surprise of us all. I smiled as I watched their three year old attempt to climb over the seat and into the lap of a rapper that looked like he was being attacked by a grizzly as the sticky toddler lunged at him.

I dropped the thick velvet curtain and looked back toward the stage. In the very front and center was the podium I would be stepping up to in just a few minutes. Three very large video screens were hung around the middle of the stage, the history of the band ready to play out on the giant screens in just a few minutes. And behind the screens, the instruments. The band was not scheduled to play but the arrangement was there just in case. I felt the moisture in the corner of my eye as I looked at the statuesque grand piano in the center.

"Sixty seconds," the young man's voice said quietly. I watched as the stage lights came up and the audience began to settle back into their seats. I looked into the mirror one last time and tugged at the bowtie again. I turned to face the stage and stopped. In a split second, my body felt tingly from head to toe. I stared hard into the blackness of the audience trying to confirm what I thought I had seen. Jet black hair and pale skin. Alice. I could have sworn I had seen Alice on the very edge of the room. And if Alice was here, then…

"Ten seconds."

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Mr. Chip Hinkle," the disembodied voice of the announcer called out, cuing me that the moment we'd all been preparing for had arrived. I walked out into the blindingly hot lights and made my way to the podium. As I placed the cards from my pocket on the polished top, I adjusted my glasses and tried to squint enough to see out into the audience. It was a pointless effort however, as the lights blasting toward me blinded me from everything that wasn't closer than five feet away. The polite applause of the crowd diminished slightly as I looked into the crowd and smiled.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. For more than twenty-five years, it has been my privilege to work with the most extraordinary group of musicians the world has ever known. EverClear…"

The roar of the crowd and thundering applause brought the speech to a dead standstill. I swelled with pride at the reception the name alone could evoke from the crowd. On and on the clapping and screaming went until finally, after what felt like five full minutes, the lights flashed in an unspoken signal to the crowd. I couldn't recall a time in my life that I'd ever been prouder of the men and women that had been my universe for so long.

"EverClear was born on a rainy night in Seattle," again, the applause broke out but I continued on, "more than a quarter of a century ago. They have had a long and distinguished road here to the Music Hall of Fame, filled with memories that we will all cherish for a lifetime. I'd met my upstairs neighbor several times but it wasn't until a single fateful night that I realized how much that neighbor would influence my life and the lives of millions of people all over the world."

Another interruption from the crowd broke out as the first image appeared on the screens behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a picture of JP, those god awful dreadlocks he used to wear, flying wildly behind him. It was obviously a still shot from a performance, as the look on his face was intense and his guitar was pulled up at the neck toward his shoulder.

"EverClear's journey has seen the highest of highs. From the many number one singles and albums, stadiums packed with hundreds of thousands of fans to more Grammy and American Music Awards than any other artists in history. They have brought their unique style and passionate emotions to every performance and into the hearts of every one of their fans."

I turned to my right and watched a montage of pictures scroll through the screens. There were scenes from performances all over the world, of fans with their hands in the air, of the band away from the stage and in their everyday lives and there were images of them on stage accepting some of the countless awards that donned the office that now resided in the same building we'd lived in so long ago. It was an entire career of memories and a lifetime of love and laughter that played across the gigantic screens.

"EverClear, like any other family, has also weathered the lows." I had to stop for a moment as an image of Bella and Edward running toward the plane in Seattle assaulted my mind. That last image of them looking so happy together was what I'd clung to for support after they'd disappeared. I took a deep breath and then looked back into the sea of faces. "By far the most tragic event that EverClear has endured was the loss of two of its members. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen…"

The screaming that cut me off was tumultuous. The sounds echoed from every corner of the large room in a cacophony of appreciations. I squinted again and saw that the band was on their feet leading the masses in their appreciation of our lost family. Everyone, spouses and kids alike, were yelling with abandon as the first picture of the two of them filled the screen. It was a shot of them as they had entered the charity ball. Both of them dressed in their formal attire and staring at each other as it there was no one else on the planet. They were every bit as beautiful in the photograph as I remembered them from that night.

"Bella and Edward were the building blocks upon which EverClear was made. Years before he joined the band in the performance that is still to this day sighted as EverClear's most emotional, Edward was a presence in the music. He was the center of the extraordinary lyrics and ground breaking melodies that poured from Bella. It was Bella, though, that breathed life into the band that is now being honored here tonight. A cold rainy night in Seattle, Bella and JP met over a beat up piano and shared love of words. Their vision, dedication and conviction made the band what it is. The loss of them nearly devastated us all. It was with heavy hearts and her words ringing in the ears of the band that they persevered and grew into the most successful act since the Beatles. "

"It is in their honor that I ask you to join me in watching a brief history of our honorees tonight. I give you EverClear."

The entire room went blank as the screens high above me glowed. The flickering image of that night so long ago when the frail teenaged Bella had sung her first lyrics filled the screen. It was a fitting beginning to the history that would play out for the next three minutes. It was agreed by all that that particular night, EverClear had been born. I walked to the side of the stage and turned to watch, as captivated by the film playing as everyone else in the room.

So much of my life was wrapped up in the band. All of my best and most painful memories were centered on the amazing people that I'd loved with, fought with, laughed with and lived with for a quarter century. None of us had known just how wild a ride it would be when we'd set out on that first tour, the band playing every tiny hole in the wall club in the country. Money and fame were never what the band had been about, even though those things had followed their meteoric ascent after the plane crash.

It was the music. Always the music. Each one of them, in their own way, lived for the music. They poured all their emotions into each song and into every performance. It had all started with JP and Bella. Their mutual pain and sense of loss had been the cornerstone but had not in any way been all that the band had been about. Out of their emotions, each had come to terms with and then found the needed strength to be happy. It was all I'd ever wanted for any of them but especially for my Baby Girl.

I looked back toward the screen as the grainy images if that life altering Atlanta performance filled the screen. She slowly walked up the stairs toward the waiting figure of Adonis, singing for all she was worth. It still gave me goose bumps to watch as first he then she dropped to their knees during the bridge of the song. So much raw adoration projected from them as they had stared into each other's eyes. The commentator on the video was saying something about the two of them finding each other but the words held none of the power that the memory did. I'd watched in awe that night as my girl had reclaimed her heart. The image switched to her shocked expression as she flung herself around on the stage to see Edward sitting at the piano playing and singing in JP's place. It was comical how stunned she looked and how smug he looked as he gauged her reaction. The rest of the song played out for the audience and they all clapped and applauded like it was a live performance.

As the opening bars of "My Immortal" played on the screen, the lights on the stage dimmed to a deep blue. Her beautiful voice rang out with the song that EverClear had not played since the two of them had left. I watched the screen as she walked gracefully across the piano and knelt in front of him at the bench. It was such a moving sight, even on video. But the collective gasp from the audience behind me pulled my attention away from the film.

On the large grand piano on the stage, two figures had appeared out of the darkness. One was seated at the bench, playing the song while the other was kneeling atop the polished lid in front of him. The voice that filled the air was not a recording. It was not a track.

It was them.

My eyes filled with tears as I watched Bella and Edward recreated down to the very last detail that extraordinary performance from almost two decades ago. Her voice held every bit the same majesty that it always had. The light never came up fully, leaving them silhouetted against the other instruments on stage but there was no doubt in my mind, or anyone else in the band's judging from their reaction, that we were actually seeing the two of them.

As she begun the second verse, I noticed movement from the front row of the audience. The band was on its feet. With a smile that felt like it would shatter my jaw if it got any wider, I watched as JP, Dimitri, Felix and Jane filed up the stairs and all but ran across the stage. Not one of them said a word and Bella never missed a note as she continued the song. But each one of them took their place at the instruments and readied themselves to play the song that had been absent from their lineup for so long.

**I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone**

**But though you're still with me**

**I've been alone all along**

At that precise moment, the stage was flooded with light as the band joined in the celebration, only the center piano remaining in shadow. The audience behind me went absolutely hysterical in their applause. I had no idea how the hell this was going to be explained but I simply didn't care as I watched them all. There was a spark, an energy to the song that could only be realized with Bella on the stage. JP and Dimitri looked as if they both had tears in their eyes as they played and watched her relentlessly. It was like something out of a dream.

They played the song with more emotion than I could ever remember hearing from them before, no small feat given the incredible shows I'd seen. It was as if all was right in the world for those couple of minutes. Never once did the lights clearly illuminate either one of them, allowing for the plausible explanation that it was simply look-alikes that had taken the stage with the band. But it didn't matter. When the song closed, the audience went absolutely ballistic in their applause. Screams and yells, whistles and cheering encased every inch of the room. The lights dimmed on the stage, leaving it in darkness once again, even as the applause raged on.

After just a couple of seconds, the full lights came back up. Only Bella and Edward were no where to be seen. The young man from earlier thrust a mic into my hand as I stood at the edge of the stage, gaping at the sudden disappearance.

"Man, do the inductions," he whispered loudly.

My prepared speech was forgotten in the wake of the phantom members. But the words I needed to say flowed into my head as easily as if they had been scripted.

"Ladies and gentleman, please help me welcome EverClear into the ranks of those legendary performers of the Music Hall of Fame. As we've all witnessed, even though our members are not all present with us tonight, they are never far away from our hearts."

I watched the band step forward, a noticeable gap where Bella and Edward should have been standing, and take their bows as they were each presented with the gleaming statue that would forever solidify them as music legends. For all the trials and tribulations, they were whole again for the briefest of moments. EverClear had started as an outlet for two lonely souls. But through the years, they had become the symbol of peciverence and honest emotions. I had never been prouder of them than I was at that moment.

And I had never loved them more.

**Chapter Notes: Set me on Author Alert if you haven't already done so. I have another story outlined that should begin soon. I'm gonna take a little time to rest before starting. In the meantime, don't forget to check out English Rose.**

**Thank you again to every one of you.**

**Kelly**


	38. Chapter 38Teaser

**I'm back!!! And so is your favorite band! **

**So glad to see you all again. This is kind of a teaser but not really…lol. I have just posted the first of three one-shot prequels to EverClear. The title of the story is "The March Toward Atlanta". So this is just to let you all know it's out there, in case you don't have me on alert as an author.**

**I decided to do these as a way to raise the awareness of the upcoming Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse Edition charity auction. The first auction rose over $80k for Alex's Lemonade Stand and we fully expect to break that mark with this year's auction.**

**I am going to be offering up 3 one-shot stories of the purchaser's choice for EverClear. Any scene, any character or combination of characters is up for grabs. I know there are things you guys wanted to see but didn't in the original stories. So this will be your opportunity. Just tell me what you want….and it's yours!**

**But to wet the EverClear groupies' appetites a little, I am going to give you a small taste of what you can "buy" at the auction.**

**So just click over, read and then tell me what you guys think.**

**Love ya and missed you all!**

**Kelly**


	39. Chapter 39

***Waving manically***

Hi guys! I have missed you guys something terrible! It feels so good to type this out and know that all the EverClear groupies are still out there.

If you have already gotten an alert, then I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Ignore the rest of this note because you already know what I'm going to say.

If you haven't got me on Author Alert, then let me update you. I posted a new out-take in The March Toward Atlanta. It's an outtake that was requested by a groupie and was written to her exact specifications. But I think you'll like it anyway.

What I think you'll like even more is the little love letter at the end of the outtake. So hop on over, read the newest entry into the EverClear universe and I'll see you very soon.

Love ya!

Kelly


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